HC Deb 03 April 1990 vol 170 cc577-8W
Mr. Gwilym Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what spending increases Welsh local authorities have budgeted for 1990–91; whether he intends to use his powers to limit the charges set by any Welsh authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Walker

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has today made a statement about charge limitation in England. He indicated the criteria used to decide whether to designate authorities. Similar criteria have been adopted for Wales; under those criteria, no Welsh authorities are selected for designation.

I have today placed in the Library of the House tables showing the spending decisions of each county and district council, its community charge and associated information. Collectively Welsh local government has in this first year of the new system decided to set budgets which exceed the settlement by over £100 million. The result is that the community charge will average £232, rather than the £173 which I consider would have been necessary to maintain existing service levels and meet unavoidable new pressures.

There is a considerable variation in the position of individual authorities. While some have had the good sense to moderate their spending increases, to the great advantage of their charge payers, a number have decided on spending increases which are unnecessarily high and impose significant extra burdens on their charge payers. Councils which have imposed unnecessarily high charges will now have to account to their charge payers for their decisions. It is for Welsh charge payers to seek explanations for these high spending increases: it is for then to judge whether the explanations they are given are acceptable.

Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the number of people in Wales who will become eligible for a community charge rebate following the rise in the capital disregard to £16,000.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is not available. Sufficient data are not available to provide a reliable estimate for Wales only.

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