Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 20 Rhagfyr 1973.
The grant will be cut by 50 per cent. rather than 75 per cent., except in a housing action area, and I should imagine that the hon. Member's constituency will qualify under that heading. It is somewhat misleading to say that there is to be a cut. It is a question of who pays for it. There is the possibility of insisting on improvements to be carried out by reluctant landlords, and surely the hon. Member will welcome that. I do not know whether in his case it is a reluctant landlord or a reluctant council which is failing to carry out improvements. Nevertheless, he can take courage from the fact that the improvement grant scheme is continuing with vigour.
It is unreasonable to say that no service should be exempt from cuts. As my hon. Friend the Member for Northants, South (Mr. Arthur Jones) explained, it is difficult to seize on one service and say that it should take all the cuts. The hon. Member for Birmingham, Small Heath (Mr. Denis Howell) has had experience in local government and has, no doubt, served on a libraries committee—