West of England

Coventry affected by unfair funding to English Councils
2012/2013 public spending per head in the UK as a whole was £8,788
Per head of population (2012/2013) MH Treasury, Public Expenditure
Statistical Analysis 2014
· England: Average spending per head was £8,529 (3% below the UK average)
· Scotland: Average spending per head was £10,152 (16% above the UK average)
· Wales: Average spending per head was £9,709 (10% above the UK average)
· Northern Ireland: Average spending per head was £10,876 (24% above the UK average)
· West Midlands: £8,498 (UK average £8,788)
The population of Coventry, according to the 2011 Census, is 316,900. Warwickshire’s population is 545,474. (2011 census)
Coventry (population 316,900)
· Coventry: £2,702,840,100 (based UK average)
· Coventry: £2,693,016,200 (based on per head in West Midlands)
· Difference = £9,823,900 more spending money
· Coventry: £3,217,168,800 (if sending was on an equal footing with Scotland)
· Difference = £524,152,600 more spending money
Warwickshire (population 545,474)
· Warwickshire: 545,474 x £8,529 = £4,652,347,746 (based UK average)
· Warwickshire: 545,474 x £8,498 = £4,635,438,052 (based on per head in West Midlands)
· Difference = £ 16,909,694 (more spending money)
· Warwickshire: 545,474 x £10,152 = £5,537,652,048 (if spending was on an equal footing with Scotland)
· Difference =£902,213,996 ( more spending money)
The impact on England and her Counties of keeping and protecting the Barnett formula spending for Scotland
If annual public spending per head in Warwickshire was equal with how much is spent on the people of Scotland, we would see almost £1bn more tax money spent in the Warwickshire each year. The amount of money would be more than enough to ease austerity pressures.
Warwickshire also comes below the UK average which means that over spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not just impacting on England as a whole but directly on public spending per head in Coventry and Warwickshire.
This means the Barnett formula, something the 3 main political party leaders vowed to keep and protect for Scotland, directly puts financial pressures on organisations all across England and especially in Coventry and Warwickshire. As the NHS and Council services in England continue in their struggle to balance the books due to underfunding, taxpayers will continue to experience poorer services while Scotland is protected.
The ‘vow’ made before the Scottish independence vote has highlighted how unfair the current spending is per head for the people of England. Instead of vowing to protect the Barnett formula for Scotland, the 3 main party political leaders should have been calling for it to be overhauled or scrapped. Unfortunately for England, these party leaders promised Scotland that the Barnett Formula, will continue. The formula is worked out partly by the population of each of the UK nations and partly on which powers those nations have had devolved to them, such as health and education.
The reality is easy to see, with Warwickshire facing financial pressures which include…
I do not know the financial pressure points in Warwickshire /Coventry but you mentioned the NHS / hospitals
To Clarify
The government’s Treasury figures show spending per head in the West Midlands is just £8,498 per person each year, compared to the UK average of £8,788 per person (or £10,152 per head in Scotland). The East Midlands, South East, East and South West regions are lower, which puts paid to the suggestion the South of England enjoys better funding than elsewhere in the country.
Spending in England should be calculated not through the Barnett Formula, but according to need. If that was the case then Coventry and Warwickshire would be significantly better off. To highlight this, if the extra £1,654 which people in Scotland receive each year was added to the current spending per head for the 545,474 people in Warwickshire, that would add up to approximately £902Million more public spending for the county.
I realise that this is only a very simple analysis, but it does highlight how unfair the Barnett formula is. It also dispels the myth that the UK countries are treated equally as the figures clearly show the favorable treatment of Scotland. This is especially difficult to stomach in England as her counties are facing considerable pressures on our public services.
Why an English Government is urgently needed
Eddie Bone, Campaign Director for the Workers of England Union stated ‘An English Government with an English First Minister could be working hard in the lead up to the general election in order to redress this imbalance – so that the people of England are well-served in both local representation as well as national. An English manifesto is urgently needed so that the people of England can argue that a fair share of the money they give as taxpayers is spent of their services’.
The idea of making City Regions is not the answer either. Why should cities be given more powers while the rest of England is left to fend for themselves? City Regions would not help Coventry and Warwickshire as the county has many rural areas which would be disadvantaged.

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