§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Merseyside residuary body will complete its work and be dissolved; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe Merseyside residuary body will be formally dissolved today by an order made under section 67 of the Local Government Act 1985. During the four years since abolition, the residuary body has sold or transferred to successor authorities 5,735 former county council property interests. It has distributed some £37 million from property sales and revenue balances for the benefit of local ratepayers.
The Merseyside residuary body is the fourth of the seven residuary bodies to wind up. It inherited a considerable number of property interests, rights and liabilities from the former Merseyside county council, not least those in respect of Croxteth hall and country park. It is a credit to all concerned that successful solutions were achieved with the full co-operation of the successor authorities.
The order transferred the remainder of the residuary body's property, functions, rights and liabilities to the city of Liverpool and the metropolitan boroughs of Knowsley, 345W St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral on 31 January 1990. The residuary body's superannuation and compensation responsibilities were transferred to Wirral district council in October 1987. The residuary body's final report is being laid before Parliament today.
The two remaining metropolitan residuary bodies are on target to complete their abolition-related work within the five-year time scale.