§ Lord Smith of Leighasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the criteria and weightings for allocating "Positive Activities for Young People" funding; and whether they can justify the wide variation in funding neighbouring authorities in Greater Manchester. [HL2871]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland):The funding for Positive Activities for Young People is allocated to LEAs on the basis of the number of robberies committed; the number of sessions missed in schools; the number of primary and secondary pupils; and the level of funding that areas received under schemes last year. Weightings have also been applied to take account of additional factors such as Behaviour and Improvement Schools and Excellence in Cities areas.
Greater Manchester has received a total funding allocation of £2.1 million. The variations in funding between LEAs will be dependent upon the funding they received in previous years, the levels of robbery in those areas and levels of truancy. Extra consideration has been given to areas with Behaviour and Improvement Schools and to Excellence in Cities areas. Government Office North West also took the decision to ensure that there is a strong focus on community cohesion in their region and have reallocated a small amount of their funding to take account of this.