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On Thursday, December 8, the Department of Communities and Local Government announced the Provisional Local Government Settlement 2012-13.
This includes details on the way money would be transferred from local government to fund individual academy schools. As this was likely to have an unintended detrimental effect on funding arrangements for Bromley, the Leader of the Council, Stephen Carr and the Executive Councillor for Education, Ernest Noad raised these concerns with the Department for Education, through Bromley's local Members of Parliament. Additionally, they responded robustly to the Department for Education's consultation, launched earlier in the year, on the proposals that would mean the Council losing funding of up to £5 million in 2012-13 as well as reduced funding for the current year of 2011-12.
It has now been decided, however, with the Provisional Local Government Settlement, that further consultation will take place on the arrangements for transferring funding from local authorities to academy schools. Further, under the Provisional Settlement no transfer of funding will take place for 2012-13 or within the current financial year. The funding arrangements for 2013-14 have yet to be announced.
Said Councillor Stephen Carr:
"We are pleased at this small piece of good news about the funding arrangements for academy schools in 2012-13 and that the government has responded in this way to the coherent arguments expressed by Bromley Council. I'd also like to thank the MP for Orpington, Jo Johnson who raised our concerns in the House that we were being unfairly penalised by the proposed method of funding. As we enter a further period of consultation on academy funding it will be important to make sure our voice continues to be heard speaking up for Bromley residents and we express our concerns about the arrangements for funding academies in 2013-14 and beyond."
The Leader added: "It's important to remember, though, that this good news only relates to a small part our funding. We still have to make £30 million savings over the next three years, and I am determined to continue to express the strong argument to government that the people of Bromley are losing out because of the way money is allocated to councils. I am meeting our local MPs later this month on this issue to work with them to ensure our voice is heard speaking up for our residents."
Ends
Editor's notes:
- Jo Johnson MP, raises concerns in the House of Commons
- Information about LACSEG consultation
- Bromley has one of the lowest levels of Formula and other grants from government. The two combined, formula grant and other grants, gave us £297 per head of population in 2011/12 compared to the average in London of £656. The highest is £1,220. Based on a population of 315,000 if we received the average level of combined grant funding for London our income would increase by approximately £110 million
- The Council did not receive additional national support announced last year towards social care and this meant we lost a further £3 million in funding
- For media enquiries please contact Amanda Day in Corporate Communications, on 020 8313 4390 or email amanda.day@bromley.gov.uk
