To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes for rent have been owned by Congleton borough council in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
[holding answer 26 October 1990]: The numbers of council-owned dwellings reported by Congleton borough council in its annual housing investment programme returns (HIP1) are as follows:
| Stock at 1 April each year | |
| Number | |
| 1981 | 5,887 |
| 1982 | 5,653 |
| 1983 | 5,457 |
Number
| |
| 1984 | 5,272 |
| 1985 | 5,245 |
| 1986 | 5,046 |
| 1987 | 4,990 |
| 1988 | 4,831 |
| 1989 | 4,619 |
| 1990 | 4,474 |
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning (a) the average length of time currently taken by a local authority to re-let vacant homes and (b) the average length of time taken by the Congleton borough council to re-let vacant homes.
[holding answer 26 October 1990]: The 1988 survey, "Empty Local Authority Dwellings in England at 1 October and Re-lets between 1 April and 30 September 1988", showed that—at that time—the overall average re-let period for all authorities was eight weeks. The corresponding figure reported by Congleton borough council was six weeks, including vacant dwellings in modernisation programmes. A copy of the national report is in the Library.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funds have been made available by his Department in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available to Congleton borough council to assist with the provision of housing for rent.
[holding answer 26 October 1990]: The Department makes housing investment programme (HIP) allocations to local authorities each year, which convey borrowing approval (under the new capital finance system, in the form of credit approvals). Thus housing capital expenditure is funded from borrowing, capital receipts and from revenue contributions. The Department does pay a general housing subsidy, but the costs of borrowing are only one element of this.Within these totals it is for each local authority to decide how its resources should be spent.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the amount spent in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available by Congleton borough council on the provision of housing; what percentage of total expenditure by the authority is represented by this figure in each of those years; and what is the national average in the latest single year for which figures are available.
[holding answer 26 October 1990]: Capital expenditure by Congleton borough council on housing and all services (including housing) is as follows:
| £ thousands per cent. | |||
| Housing | All services | Housing as a percentage of all services | |
| 1981–82 | 1,542 | 2,245 | 69 |
| 1982–83 | 2,256 | 3,132 | 72 |
| 1983–84 | 2,760 | 3,378 | 82 |
| 1984–85 | 2,134 | 2,615 | 82 |
| 1985–86 | 2,067 | 2,613 | 79 |
| 1986–87 | 2,779 | 3,342 | 83 |
| 1987–88 | 2,964 | 4,014 | 74 |
| 1988–89 | 2,942 | 3,197 | 92 |
| 1989–90 | 3,931 | 4,703 | 84 |
Nationally, housing capital expenditure is provisionally estimated to be 53 per cent. of capital expenditure on all local authority services in 1989–90; the equivalent figure for non-metropolitan district councils in England is 68 per cent.