§ Mr. HaywardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 25 local authorities with the largest additional charge on the community charge bills, indicating the sums involved; and if he will make a statement on the action he intends to take.
§ Mr. KeyThe list is based on the estimates of "other adjustments" provided to the Department by the majority of local authorities. The figures may differ slightly from the amounts actually shown on community charge bills. They take account of, among other things, the standard charge income an authority expects to receive, interest charges on the collection fund, an authority's estimate of uncollected community charges and population changes.
Authority £ Lambeth 158 Islington 137 Southwark 84 Hackney 83 Hammersmith and Fulham 73 Liverpool 70 Brent 70 Oxford 68 Newham 65 Tower Hamlets 63 Haringey 62 Sandwell 61 Greenwich 59 Reading 59 Camden 58 Kirklees 52 Plymouth 52 Bristol 51 Southampton 51 Lewisham 51 Waltham Forest 50 Preston 49 Manchester 49 Leicester 49 Cambridge 46 Wirral 46 We fully understand the concern expressed by law-abiding charge payers about the inclusion of amounts for non-collection. There can be no excuse for non-payment and there will be no amnesty for non-payers. It is, however, essential that authorities make proper provision for non-collection, as they did for non-collection 387W of the rates. I must stress that all charge payers are under a legal duty to pay the whole community charge including this element.
§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Report, population figures for each standard region in England and Wales for the years 1981–82 to 1991–92, on the same basis as was used to calculate per capita standard spending assessments in his written answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 10.
A table showing population figures on the same basis as those used to calculate per capita standard spending assessments OPCS mid-year estimates Local authority 1981–82 Resident population 1982–83 Resident population 1983–84 Resident population 1984–85 Resident population 1985–86 Resident population 1986–87 Resident population 1987–88 Resident population 1988–89 Resident population 1989–90 Resident population 1990–91 Resident population 1991–92 Resident population Regional summary Northern region 3,130,300 3,128,300 3,117,600 3,107,400 3,100,100 3,093,100 3,085,700 3,080,242 3,076,779 3,071,318 3,073,112 North West 6,498,400 6,447,300 6,459,500 6,431,000 6,410,100 6,395,500 6,386,300 6,374,334 6,370,079 6,364,162 6,379,723 Yorkshire and Humberside 4,921,000 4,922,700 4,918,400 4,909,900 4,908,500 4,904,300 4,902,600 4,899,285 4,900,232 4,913,298 4,940,355 East Midlands 3,818,300 3,838,300 3,852,700 3,851,700 3,859,800 3,874,300 3,896,900 3,919,918 3,942,254 3,970,599 3,999,063 West Midlands 5,179,200 5,185,000 5,186,200 5,179,900 5,176,300 5,176,000 5,183,000 5,181,243 5,197,687 5,207,000 5,215,960 East Anglia 1,864,100 1,881,800 1,894,700 1,911,400 1,925,200 1,939,600 1,964,700 1,991,600 2,013,680 2,034,639 2,044,577 South West 4,334,900 4,361,100 4,381,273 4,397,599 4,424,061 4,461,279 4,500,780 4,543,254 4,588,374 4,634,235 4,652,426 South East 10,064,300 10,142,100 10,204,700 10,239,400 10,294,500 10,356,400 10,424,300 10,489,393 10,547,132 10,605,020 10,627,779 Greater London 6,887,600 6,850,600 6,805,703 6,766,432 6,754,433 6,756,038 6,767,421 6,775,190 6,770,435 6,736,007 6,756,400 TOTAL ENGLAND 46,698,100 46,787,200 46,820,776 46,794,731 46,852,994 46,956,517 47,111,701 47,254,459 47,406,652 47,536,278 47,689,395