Rate Increases

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Chope), on 13 April, Official Report, column 127, he will explain how the figure for local rate increases is made up; and if he will list in ascending order by class of authority the local rate poundages for all counties, boroughs and districts in England.

The local rate for a district or borough is made up from the rate charged by the district itself together with the average of parish precepts and special district expenses and precepts charged by certain other specialised bodies such as waste disposal authorities. It does not include the precepts charged by higher tier authorities, that is, county councils in the shires, police, fire and civil defence and transport authorities in metropolitan areas and London, and the Inner London education authority. A ranked list of the available information on local rates poundages in 1988–89 for districts and boroughs and precepts for county councils by class of authority is as follows.