Orders of the Day — Liverpool (Council Budget)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:17 pm on 15 March 1984.

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Photo of Mr William Waldegrave Mr William Waldegrave , Bristol West 10:17, 15 March 1984

I hope that those who have contributed to the debate will accept what I am about to say in the spirit in which it is offered. The problems of Liverpool are, and have been, great, but I do not believe that the situation is such that a party political broadcast by any party is in order. The problems are so severe that we should not try to make party political capital out of them.

The Labour group has concluded that the city must receive £30 million in extra grant from the Government, though without pointing to the tree on which the cash is grown. It says that if the money is not forthcoming there will have to be a 200 per cent. rate increase, or 5,000 job losses. It adds that it will not accept either of those options and that if the Government do not provide the money it is left only with the option of rating illegally.

The logic of that argument escapes everyone—I think that it escapes the hon. Member for Mossley Hill—but I imagine that Labour councillors believe that if they repeat their story often enough someone will believe it. If the argument is examined closely, I believe that it becomes clear that it does not stand up.

I do not want to exacerbate the position, so I shall run through the argument point by point and let the facts speak for themselves.