Memorandum from Leicestershire County
Council (EM2-14)
I would ask the Committee to consider the following
evidence on the share of funding received by the East Midlands
Region submitted by Leicestershire County Council.
Leicestershire County Council receives some
of the lowest levels of funding of any authority in England. Most
notable is the level of Dedicated School Grant per pupil which
is the lowest in England. "The amount per pupil received
by Leicestershire is 5.4% less than the average of neighbouring
counties, 6.2% less than average of shire counties, 11.6% less
than the average of England, 7.7% less than Rutland and 13.5%
less than the City of Leicester." Clearly one authority has
to be at the bottom of the league but it is the level of the disparity
against apparently similar authorities which is difficult to understand.
The position is repeated with Formula Grant
albeit there are three counties (without responsibility for fire)
with lower formula grant per head. Among the counties receiving
a greater amount of grant per head are Essex, Cambridgeshire,
East Sussex and Kent. Formula Grant takes account of relative
needs and the ability to raise council tax locally. Of all counties
only two have a lower Relative Needs Factor (RNFs) per head of
population than Leicestershire (Fire RNF's are excluded for this
comparison). It is very hard to understand why places such as
West Sussex, Hertfordshire and Dorset have higher needs than Leicestershire.
The lack of resources has a significant impact
on the budget. Leicestershire has the lowest budget per head of
population of any county with the same functions.
A further example is the position on the supporting
people grant allocations (copy attached) where the amounts for
Leicestershire defy belief. The amount of grant for Leicestershire
is over 100% below the national average for counties.
Any action you can take to address the inequality
in funding would be much appreciated by the County Council.
11 November 2009
| Local Authority |
2009 Sub-National Population Projections
| Formula
Grant 2009-10 | Grant per
head 2009-10
| Compared
with LCC |
| | (£ million)
| £ | % |
Gloucestershire | 584,094
| 22.231 | 38.06 | 244%
|
| Somerset | 534,714 | 17.345
| 32.44 | 193% |
| Nottinghamshire | 783,280 |
23.721 | 30.28 | 174%
|
| Lincolnshire | 716,263 |
19.759 | 27.59 | 150%
|
| Worcestershire | 557,170 |
14.984 | 26.89 | 143%
|
| Oxfordshire | 647,053 | 17.018
| 26.30 | 138% |
| Devon | 759,547 | 19.337
| 25.46 | 130% |
| Suffolk | 714,971 | 17.523
| 24.51 | 122% |
| Lancashire | 1,187,181 |
29.053 | 24.47 | 121%
|
| North Yorkshire | 605,097 |
14.735 | 24.35 | 120%
|
| Hampshire | 1,281,777 | 31.010
| 24.19 | 119% |
| Dorset | 412,454 | 9.666
| 23.43 | 112% |
| Kent | 1,415,332 | 32.025
| 22.63 | 105% |
| Derbyshire | 765,919 | 17.261
| 22.54 | 104% |
| East Sussex | 520,549 | 11.561
| 22.21 | 101% |
| Essex | 1,388,793 | 29.623
| 21.33 | 93% |
| Northamptonshire | 682,945 |
14.257 | 20.88 | 89%
|
| Cumbria | 501,670 | 10.104
| 20.14 | 82% |
| Hertfordshire | 1,077,663 |
21.001 | 19.49 | 76%
|
| West Sussex | 783,846 | 15.049
| 19.20 | 74% |
| Norfolk | 854,878 | 16.337
| 19.11 | 73% |
| Warwickshire | 533,106 |
10.147 | 19.03 | 72%
|
| Cambridgeshire | 607,231 |
11.367 | 18.72 | 69%
|
| Surrey | 1,094,702 | 18.509
| 16.91 | 53% |
| Staffordshire | 831,011 |
13.495 | 16.24 | 47%
|
| Buckinghamshire | 488,451 |
5.588 | 11.44 | 3%
|
| Leicestershire | 644,581 |
7.126 | 11.06 |
|
| Average | 20,974,278
| 469.832 | 22.40
| 103% |
| |
| | |
|
