asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report for each London borough, metropolitan district and for the 10 largest non-metropolitan districts (a) the total rate arrears outstanding at 31st March 1975 and 31st March 1976 and the percentage that these represent of the total rates collectable in those areas, and (b) the total council housing rent arrears outstanding at 31st March 1975 and 31st March 1976 and the percentage that these represent of the total rebated rents collectable in those areas.
| 31st March 1975 | 31st March 1976 | |||||
| Total rent arrears | Percentage of total collectable rent | Total rent arrears | Percentage of total collectable rent | |||
| £ | £ | |||||
| London Boroughs: | ||||||
| Barking | … | … | 187,831 | 2·3 | 135,569 | 1·4 |
| Barnet | … | … | 88,347 | 1·5 | 102,783 | 2·0 |
| Bexley | … | … | N/A | N/A | 165,200 | 3·5 |
| Brent | … | … | 193,817 | 3·7 | 393,269 | 5·7 |
| Bromley | … | … | 123,150 | 2·7 | 100,122 | 1·7 |
| Camden | … | … | 1,755,400 | 21·2 | 1,442,770 | 14·7 |
| Croydon | … | … | 233,673 | 3·2 | 291,543 | 3·5 |
| Ealing | … | … | 187,174 | 3·3 | 351,982 | 4·8 |
| Enfleld | … | … | 302,202 | 4·7 | 374,777 | 4·2 |
| Greenwich | … | … | 489,663 | 7·3 | 475,834 | 8·1 |
| Hackney | … | … | 491,548 | 6·6 | 474,574 | 60 |
| Hammersmith | … | … | 207,475 | 4·8 | 207,475 | 4·2 |
| Haringey | … | … | 131,860 | 2·2 | 472,950 | 6·3 |
| Harrow | … | … | 237,330 | 9·7 | 220,541 | 7·5 |
| Havering | … | … | 357,700 | 7·0 | 401,000 | 61 |
| Hillingdon | … | … | 244,972 | 4·2 | 257,070 | 31 |
| Hounslow | … | … | 87,431 | 1·5 | 83,110 | 1·2 |
| Islington | … | … | 1,475,050 | 23·1 | 1,400,000 | 13·7 |
| Kensington/Chelsea | … | … | 179,101 | 7·7 | 209,091 | 80 |
| Kingston upon Thames | … | … | 82,957 | 4·7 | 66,746 | 20 |
| Lambeth | … | … | 1,148·528 | 12·4 | 1,025,704 | 10·3 |
| Lewisham | … | … | 650,693 | 8·4 | 712,436 | 7·9 |
| Merton | … | … | 159,380 | 6·5 | 412,090 | 8·7 |
| Newham | … | … | 390,000 | 4·4 | 351,017 | 3·2 |
| Redbridge | … | … | 111,578 | 3·4 | 169,299 | 4·4 |
| Richmond upon Thames | … | … | 29,388 | 1·0 | 40,024 | 1·1 |
| Southwark | … | … | 542,526 | 6·0 | 431,047 | 3·2 |
| Sutton | … | … | 136,660 | 4·4 | 134,259 | 3·4 |
| Tower Hamlets | … | … | 456,537 | 8·8 | 372,682 | 6·3 |
| Waltham Forest | … | … | 186,281 | 2·5 | 232,106 | 2·6 |
| Wandsworth | … | … | 249,608 | 3·6 | 496,345 | 5·8 |
| Westminster | … | … | 134,450 | 2·3 | 195,640 | 2·6 |
| Metropolitan Districts: | ||||||
| Barnsley | … | … | 122,317 | 2·1 | 125,085 | 1·7 |
| Birmingham | … | … | 1,929,849 | 4·5 | 2,274,346 | 4·4 |
| Bolton | … | … | 54,347 | 11 | 63,720 | 0·9 |
| Bradford | … | … | 255,532 | 2·7 | 257,110 | 2·5 |
| Bury | … | … | 97,531 | 2·4 | 108,910 | 3·5 |
| Calderdale | … | … | 77,722 | 2·0 | 168,633 | 3·6 |
| Coventry | … | … | 210,715 | 3·0 | 211,780 | 2·5 |
| Doncaster | … | … | 61,680 | 1·0 | 84,949 | 09 |
| Dudley | … | … | 207,993 | 20 | 106,606 | N/A |
| Gateshead | … | … | 146,743 | 1·7 | 166,814 | 1·6 |
| Kirklees | … | … | N/A | N/A | 140,097 | 2·5 |
| Knowsley | … | … | N/A | N/A | 1,376,674 | 100 |
| Leeds | … | … | 481,274 | 2·3 | 614,797 | 2·5 |
| Liverpool | … | … | 1,587,929 | 90 | 1,629,132 | 6·8 |
| Manchester | … | … | 1,352,442 | 5·1 | 1,735,917 | 5·8 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | … | … | 424,253 | 4·0 | 484,630 | 3·5 |
| North Tyneside | … | … | N/A | N/A | 110,817 | 1·3 |
| Oldham | … | … | 135,000 | 2·5 | 100,000 | 3·0 |
| Rochdale | … | … | 132,292 | 3·4 | 146,500 | 3·4 |
| Rotherham | … | … | 137,714 | 1·5 | 150,892 | 1·6 |
| St. Helens | … | … | 113,216 | 3·6 | 142,455 | 2·3 |
| Salford | … | … | 301,097 | 3·3 | 306,660 | 3·1 |
| Sandwell | … | … | 152,750 | 1·0 | 144,300 | 0·9 |
| Sefton | … | … | 96,870 | 1·8 | 124,123 | 1·9 |
I regret that the figures asked for in the first part of the Question are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information requested on council house rent arrears is as follows:
31st March 1975
| 31st March 1976
| ||||||
Total rent arrears
| Percentage of total collectable rent
| Total rent arrears
| Percentage of total collectable rent
| ||||
| £ | |||||||
| Sheffield | … | … | … | 492,265 | 2·5 | 491,302 | 2·2 |
| Solihull | … | … | … | 15,824 | 1·0 | 10,784 | 0·6 |
| South Tyneside | … | … | … | 64,784 | N/A | 68,101 | 0·7 |
| Stockport | … | … | … | 171,754 | 4·0 | 252,445 | 5·0 |
| Sunderland | … | … | … | 17,969 | 0·2 | 73,413 | 0·6 |
| Tameside | … | … | … | 150,000 | 3·7 | 184,569 | 3·2 |
| Trafford | … | … | … | 44,209 | 1·2 | 62,119 | 1·3 |
| Wakefield | … | … | … | 120,631 | 1·5 | 162,413 | 1·4 |
| Walsall | … | … | … | 76,940 | 0·8 | 84,619 | 0·8 |
| Wigan | … | … | … | 98,606 | 1·7 | 393,369 | 4·1 |
| Wirrall | … | … | … | 214,600 | 3·0 | 366,800 | 4·2 |
| Wolverhampton | … | … | … | 98,000 | 1·1 | 298,878 | 2·8 |
Non-Metropolitan Districts (10 largest only):
| |||||||
| Bristol | … | … | … | 170,601 | 1·3 | 214,228 | 1·4 |
| Nottingham | … | … | … | 284,453 | 2·4 | 382,986 | 2·5 |
| Leicester | … | … | … | 166,565 | 2·7 | 318,440 | 3·4 |
| Kingston upon Hull | … | … | … | 102,505 | 1·0 | 133,519 | 1·0 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | … | … | … | 16,614 | 0·2 | 1,838 | 0·02 |
| Plymouth | … | … | … | 38,025 | 0·7 | 51,937 | 0·8 |
| Derby | … | … | … | 16,656 | 0·3 | 13,354 | 0·2 |
| Southampton | … | … | … | 139,902 | 2·1 | N/A | N/A |
| Portsmouth | … | … | … | 196,004 | 2·3 | 198,518 | 2·0 |
| Luton | … | … | … | N/A | N/A | 74,270 | 3·0 |
Note: Total rent arrears are the arrears at the end of the last full collection period for the year in question. They include rents net of rebates plus rates.