§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average revised level of revenue support grant per head is for(a) West Sussex, (b) inner London boroughs, (c) outer London boroughs, (d) Tyne and Wear and (e) England: and what he estimates extra total grant payable would be if West Sussex were to be funded at the same level of revenue support grant per head as (i) inner London boroughs, (ii) outer London boroughs, (iii) Tyne and Wear and (iv) the average for England. [144632]
§ Mr. RaynsfordProvisional revenue support grant (RSG) per head in 2004–05 is tabled as follows:
Area Revenue support grant per head (£) West Sussex county council 262.12 Inner London boroughs (including City of London) 913.52 Outer London Boroughs 560.79 Average metropolitan district in the Tyne and Wear area 625.10 England 543.78 The RSG per head figures in the table are not directly comparable since the services provided by West Sussex county council are not the same as those provided by London boroughs or metropolitan districts. London boroughs and metropolitan districts also provide those services provided by the district council within the West Sussex area; while West Sussex county council received an allocation of grant to cover fire services in 2003—04, that are provided by the Greater London Authority in the London area and by Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority in the Tyne and Wear area. In addition the City of London also provides police 952W services. The total England figure includes both district level and police services; neither of these services are provided by West Sussex county council.
The calculation of RSG takes account of a range of factors other than the numbers of service recipients. It includes top-ups for deprivation, pay costs, and other factors such as population sparsity that drive the costs of service delivery in different areas, as well as the relative ability of councils to raise council tax in their areas. Simple per capita comparisons will not therefore be meaningful comparisons of all the factors that drive grant distribution.
If West Sussex county council received £913.52 per head of RSG then it would have received £690,488,660, an additional £492,366,039; at £560.79 per head of RSG then it would have received £423,875,925, an additional £225,753,304; at £625.10 per head of RSG then it would have received £472,484,961, an £411,018,832,163,260, an additional £212,896,211.