Rate Support Grant (Wales)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 6:24 pm on 8 February 1984.

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Photo of Mr Peter Hubbard-Miles Mr Peter Hubbard-Miles , Bridgend 6:24, 8 February 1984

The hon. Gentleman will have an opportunity to speak later.

The hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside spoke about the disintegration of the local government of which I have been a member for 17 years. My local borough council is far from disintegrating. In 1984–85 it plans to build new council offices costing £3½ million. The council has not taken that money from the block grant. It has gone to those horrible capitalist money lenders, the merchant bankers, to borrow the £3½ million, not to provide people with houses or leisure facilities, but to give councillors new council offices. That is being done by a local council which we are told is disintegrating.

The hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside talked about how the loss of jobs in local government destroyed hope for the unemployed. The hopes of employers also fall back when they see the inexorable rate increases under Labour-controlled councils. They see no hope of achieving increased staff. I speak personally as a small business man. We look to 1 April each year to see what further rate increase will be imposed. As a result, we consider carefully how many people we employ. If we employ too many, we are bankrupt and can employ no one.

No one wants needed services to be cut. Local government should examine carefully the economies that can be made without cutting services. If it did that, it would be in the happy position of being able to look after both the people who use local government services and those who pay for them.