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News

Poole Second Lowest Funded Unitary Authority

Tough budget decisions lie ahead as the Government announces Poole is to get the second lowest Government Grant per head of population for all unitary authorities.

Government has revealed that the Formula Spending Share (FSS) which is the figure they calculate that the Borough of Poole needs to provide services for their residents as £131.7 million. Of this the Government will contribute £78.4million towards providing services in Poole next year.

Cllr Brian Leverett, Leader of the Council, said: "We are still working out the detail of this complicated settlement but what is obvious is that the settlement Poole has received is completely inadequate for what is needed to deliver high quality services.

"Whilst we welcome a slight increase in educational funding, this has been an extremely poor settlement. Our percentage increase is the eighth lowest in the country for Unitary Authorities and following on from the extremely bad settlements of recent years, the people of Poole are now the second lowest funded per head of population of any unitary authority in the country.

"Once again Council Tax payers are going to have to make up the ever continuing increase in shortfall created by the inadequate Government Grant that we receive each year. I can see no way how they can justify rises of between 11 and 13.4 per cent for West Berkshire, Milton Keynes and Wokingham yet give only 4.3 per cent to Poole which has been historically a very badly funded authority and whose residents are entitled to the same standard of provision as all other authorities.

Rachael Mills, Media Relations Manager, Communications and Tourism, Borough of Poole, tel 01202 633295