§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the impact of the area cost adjustment on education funding in(a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire. [129888]
§ Mr. MilibandThe Area Cost Adjustment provides funding top-ups for areas where it costs more to recruit and retain staff. It uses the New Earnings Survey to calculate earnings differentials between different areas in the country. A threshold is set below which all authorities are given the same area cost adjustment factor. The area cost adjustment factor for Buckinghamshire is 1.0943. It is for Buckinghamshire local education authority to decide on the distribution of funding within Buckinghamshire, in consultation with its schools.