§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each London local authority(a) the amount reduced from their grant in 1990–91 to fund London Regional Transport and (b) the amount of the levy upon them in 1989–90; and on what basis he has calculated the reduced grant figure.
§ Mr. ChopeThe grant for 1990–91 of London local authorities has not been reduced to fund London Regional Transport (LRT). The cost of funding LRT which until 1989–90 fell on London ratepayers through the LRT levy will, from April 1990, be borne by the Exchequer; this is reflected in the total amount of revenue support grant for 1990–91. The LRT levy was 9.06p in 1989–90; I estimate that it will yield about £188.6 million.
The Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs) for 1990–91 of London boroughs and the City of London have been reduced by the equivalent of about £24 per adult to reflect the fact that these authorities do not provide support for public transport. The basis of this calculation is set out in the Revenue Support Grant Distribution Report (England) laid before the House on 11 January. The total reduction is £121.275 million.