CHAPTER XIX

METHODS AND PROBLEMS OF „
LX)CAL GOVERNMENT

Finance

Rates

Grants-in-Aid

Municipal Property and Enterprise

Loans

Management

Committees and Meetings
Councillors
Officers
Parties

Relations with Central Government
Regionalism

FINANCE.

The local authorities spend every year a sum approaching
£5005000,000. As they are not sovereign bodies the ways in
which this money is raised and the accounts are kept, are fixed by
law. The best known source of local income is (i) Rates. These
are levied by the rating authorities, which are the Boroughs and
Districts. The Counties and Parishes secure their money by
making a precept 06 the rating authorities, i.e., requiring them
to collect a certain amount in addition to their own needs; for
ordinary purposes, a Parish Council cannot require more than is
produced by a fourpenny rate, but a Parish Meeting may double"5
this sum. Every rating authority sets up a Rating Committee,
which has to decide the rateable value of all properties, or
hereditaments, as they are called, in the area. This is an extremely
complicated task, and the method by which it is tackled varies
with the different types of property. Where the property is of a

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