§ Mr. Allan StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much local highway authority expenditure he intends to accept for transport supplementary grant in 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChannonI have decided to accept £408 million of local authority highway expenditure for transport supplementary grant in 1989–90. Grant will be paid on this expenditure at 50 per cent. The total of £204 million TSG is nearly 7 per cent. higher than for 1988–89.
A total of 61 new major (over £1 million) schemes will be supported through TSG for the first time. Among these are the Maidstone spine road; the west central route, Newcastle; the Bexleyheath southern relief road; the St. Helens to M62 link road; further stages of the middle ring road in Birmingham; and other important improvements in both urban and rural areas. A total of 17 of these schemes will directly assist inner city areas.
Some 300 other major schemes will continue to receive TSG support. Many of these schemes are already under construction or are due to start in the current financial year. Local authorities have reported completion of 58 TSG-supported schemes costing £227 million in 1987–88 and a start of works on 57 such schemes costing £262 million. During 1988–89, they plan to complete a further 67 schemes costing £267 million and start 95 costing £518 million.
In deciding the distribution of transport supplementary grant for 1989–90, I have considered carefully the transport policies and programme document submitted by each local highway authority, and have looked at the extent to which authorities' programmes relate to roads of more than local importance. Many local authority roads —such as major urban roads and roads on the primary route network—carry significant amounts of through traffic, and thus complement the trunk road network. Improvements to such roads are important locally because they save lives, reduce congestion and relieve communities from the effects of through traffic. They are also of national benefit by aiding the efficient flow of goods, people and services. TSG reflects the national taxpayer's interest in helping local authorities to improve these roads.
Many smaller schemes on these heavily trafficked roads produce very significant accident savings and other 13W benefits. I have therefore also taken into account £56 million of expenditure on minor (under £1 million) schemes for grant in 1989–90.
The amount of expenditure accepted for TSG and the amount of grant for each local highway authority is set out in the table. Councils are being informed individually today of their own figures.
14W
The distribution of Transport Supplementary Grant for 1989–90 £ million Authority Expenditure accepted for TSG Grant Avon 8.392 4.196 Bedfordshire 8.206 4.103 Berkshire 2.390 1.195 Buckinghamshire 2.458 1.229 Cambridgeshire 4.596 2.298 Cheshire 5.552 2.776 Cleveland 8.984 4.492 Cornwall 3.486 1.743 Cumbria 1.280 0.640 Derbyshire 3.030 1.515 Devon 3.486 1.743 Dorset 6.204 3.102 Durham 3.830 1.915 East Sussex 4.964 2.482 Essex 10.148 5.074 Gloucestershire 3.126 1.563 Hampshire 9.664 4.832 Hereford and Worcester 0.692 0.346 Hertfordshire 6.100 3.050 Humberside 10.442 5.221 Isle of Wight 1.050 0.525 Kent 22.512 11.256 Lancashire 12.070 6.035 Leicestershire 7.942 3.971 Lincolnshire 2.378 1.189 Norfolk 2.832 1.416 Northamptonshire 8.250 4.125 Northumberland 0.726 0.363 North Yorkshire 5.306 2.653 Nottinghamshire 4.108 2.054 Oxfordshire 0.046 0.023 Shropshire 3.358 1.679 Somerset 7.570 3.785 Staffordshire 5.984 2.992 Suffolk 3.870 1.935 Surrey 9.368 4.684 Warwickshire 6.418 3.209 West Sussex 3.052 1.526 Wiltshire 0.218 0.109 Total Shire Counties 214.088 107.044 Bolton 0.086 0.043 Bury 3.396 1.698 Manchester 2.656 1.328 Oldham 2.194 1.097 Rochdale 0.526 0.263 Salford 5.582 2.791 Stockport 0.036 0.018 Tameside 1.132 0.566 Trafford 3.530 1.765 Wigan 1.996 0.998 Total Greater Manchester Districts 21.134 10.567 Knowsley 0.546 0.273 Liverpool 3.524 1.762 St. Helens 4.608 2.304 Sefton 0.654 0.327 Wirral 1.418 0.709 Total Merseyside Districts 10.750 5.375 Barnsley 1.090 0.545
Authority Expenditure accepted for TSG Grant Doncaster 1.322 0.661 Rotherham 1.376 0.688 Sheffield 1.170 0.585 Total South Yorkshire Districts 4.958 2.479 Gateshead 4.100 2.050 Newcastle upon Tyne 5.526 2.763 North Tyneside 0.620 0.310 South Tyneside 0.430 0.215 Sunderland 1.930 0.965 Total Tyne and Wear Districts 12.606 6.303 Birmingham 7.908 3.954 Coventry 6.106 3.053 Dudley 0.736 0.368 Sandwell 1.886 0.943 Solihull 1.052 0.526 Walsall 2.144 1.072 Wolverhampton 3.096 1.548 Total West Midlands Districts 22.928 11.464 Bradford 5.856 2.928 Calderdale 0.168 0.084 Kirklees 1.000 0.500 Leeds 3.082 1.541 Wakefield 0.616 0.308 Total West Yorkshire Districts 10.722 5.361 Total Metropolitan Districts 83.098 41.549 City of London 0.388 0.194 Barking and Dagenham 3.790 1.895 Barnet 0.582 0.291 Bexley 2.236 1.118 Brent 0.900 0.450 Bromley 7.666 3.833 Camden 0.172 0.086 Croydon 0.588 0.294 Ealing 5.640 2.820 Enfield 23.916 11.958 Greenwich 0.046 0.023 Hackney 0.820 0.410 Hammersmith and Fulham 0.284 0.142 Haringey 11.624 5.812 Harrow 6.100 3.050 Havering 0.414 0.207 Hillingdon 9.060 4.530 Hounslow 1.428 0.714 Islington 0.296 0.148 Kensington and Chelsea 1.266 0.633 Kingston upon Thames 3.322 1.661 Lambeth 0.364 0.182 Lewisham 10.628 5.314 Merton 8.560 4.280 Newham 0.994 0.497 Redbridge 0.678 0.339 Richmond upon Thames 0.326 0.163 Southwark 3.904 1.952 Sutton 1.364 0.682 Tower Hamlets 0.140 0.070 Waltham Forest 0.952 0.476 Wandsworth 0.866 0.433 Westminster 1.500 0.750 Total London 110.814 55.407 Total England 408.000 204.000