Formula grant, which comprises Revenue Support Grant, redistributed business rates, principal formula Police Grant, SSA Reduction Grant (SSA Review), SSA Reduction Grant (Police Funding Review) and Central Support Protection Grant, where appropriate, is an unhypothecated block grant i.e. authorities are free to spend it on any service. This, together with the method of calculating the distribution to authorities, particularly floor damping, means that it is not possible to say how much grant has been provided for any particular service such as education.
The following table shows the amount of formula grant provided to all local authorities since 1997-98. Prior to 2006-07, the services covered by formula grant included schools; from 2006-07 onwards support for schools has been funded through the Dedicated Schools Grant. The table therefore also shows the total amount of Dedicated Schools Grant provided to authorities in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Current year's Formula Grant) Dedicated Schools Grant Total 1998-99 35,436.867 — 35,436.867 1999-2000 37,110.829 — 37,110.829 2000-01 38,516.380 — 38,516.380 2001-02 40,024.446 — 40,024.446 2002-03 40,323.132 — 40,323.132 2003-04 43,894.370 — 43,894.370 2004-05 46,124.222 — 46,124.222 2005-06 49,015.925 — 49,015.925 2006-07 24,813.914 26,573.838 51,387.752 2007-08 25,633.008 28,031.350 53,664.358
Please note that it is not possible to compare these data directly due to transfers in funding and function.
According to data from the local authorities concerned, the funding which has been available for allocation under participatory budgeting in pilot areas, and its source, is set out as follows. This funding covers more than one financial year:
Area Funding source Amount (£) Bradford Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 779,531 Safer and Stronger Communities Fund 309,967 Newcastle Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 260,507 Sunderland New Deal for Communities in East End and Hendon 130,000 New Deal for Communities (including re-profiled funds) 23,000,000 (of which 2,350,000 was re-profiled.) East Area Committee, Local Authority Funding 20,000 Salford Local Authority Transport capital programme, “other minor works” funding devolved to Claremont and Weaste Community Committee 100,000 Manton Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder 50,000 Lewisham Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 37,500 Local Authority core funds (spending priorities for these funds to be decided in September) 7,500
The funding to be available for allocation in the remaining four areas is being agreed.
No. However the Department sponsors the Participatory Budgeting Unit, a Third Sector project managed by the Church Action on Poverty, which is involved in the pilots. A grant of £210,000 over three years from 2004 to 2007; and an additional £30,000 for this current year until March 2008, have been awarded by the Department for funding the Unit's core costs.
Five of the participatory budgeting areas identified by the Secretary of State earlier this month were already engaged in the pilot process.