§ Mr. CongdonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources he has made available to authorities that have been or are to be reorganised on 1 April 1995, 1996, 1997 or 1998 for reorganisation costs incurred by them in 1996–97; and if he will make a statement. [2046]
§ Mr. CurryOn 19 July I invited authorities that have been or are to be reorganised on or before 1 April 1998 to submit estimates of the amount of expenditure they expect to incur on transitional costs of reorganisation in 1996–97. On the basis, inter alia, of the information provided by the authorities, I have decided the maximum amounts that it would be appropriate to allocate towards such costs in 1996–97. In the initial round I gave priority to authorities that were reorganised on or before 1 April 1996. I have carefully considered the bids from these authorities and have decided that none has established a sufficiently exceptional case to justify an increase in their allocation for 1996–97. In this round I have given priority to authorities that are to be reorganised in 1997, especially their costs in respect of non-discretionary redundancy and other compensation payments to staff.
The amounts are as follows:
343W
Maximum amounts: £000 rounded Authority 1996–97 Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Council 500 Cleveland Hartlepool Borough Council 2,150 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council 3,400 Middlesbrough Borough Council 2,750 Stockton on Tees Borough Council 3,250 Avon Bristol City Council 3,500 North Somerset District Council 3,000
Maximum amounts: £000 rounded Authority 1996–97 Bath and North-east Somerset Council 4,000 South Gloucestershire Council 3,500 Humberside Hull City Council 3,000 East Riding of Yorkshire Council 7,000 North Lincolnshire Council 3,500 North-east Lincolnshire Council 4,000 North Yorkshire North Yorkshire County Council 400 Selby District Council 90 York Unitary 3,200 Total 47,240 Bedfordshire Bedfordshire County Council 1,800 Luton Borough Council 3,500 Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes Borough Council 2,800 Derbyshire Derbyshire County Council 1,900 Derby City Council 2,700 Dorset Dorset County Council 450 Bournemouth Borough Council 2,850 Poole Borough Council 2,800 Durham Durham County Council 500 Darlington Borough Council 3,850 East Sussex East Sussex County Council 1,750 Brighton Borough Council 680 Hove Borough Council 950 Brighton and Hove Council 11,250 Hampshire Hampshire County Council 2,100 Portsmouth City Council 2,850 Southampton City Council 2,950 Leicestershire Leicestershire County Council 1,500 Leicester City Council 3,100 Rutland District Council 750 Staffordshire Staffordshire County Council 1,800 Stoke on Trent City Council 2,800 Wiltshire Wiltshire County Council 1,300 Thamesdown Borough Council 2,800 Total 50,730 Combined total allocations 97,970 1 (SCA) + 1,000 SCA previously issued. I have also considered carefully the bids submitted by authorities that are to be reorganised in 1998, but, in my view, none of the bids established a sufficiently strong case to justify an allocation of SCA for 1996–97. I have, however, announced that I am prepared to issue capitalisation directions for the net eligible revenue expenditure incurred.
344WA reserve of £2.03 million has been retained to meet any unanticipated, exceptional costs incurred, with priority being given to the shadow authority of Brighton and Hove.