Essential rural services can only be made available to the standards needed if money for rural local authorities is more fairly allocated. The Countryside Agency welcomes the Government's commitment., therefore, to "more intelligible and transparent...
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NEW LOCAL SPENDING FORMULA MUST REFLECT RURAL NEEDS - 11 December 2001

Essential rural services can only be made available to the standards needed if money for rural local authorities is more fairly allocated. The Countryside Agency welcomes the Government's commitment., therefore, to "more intelligible and transparent" grant formulae - included in the Local Governance White Paper published today (Tuesday 11 December).

Commenting on the White Paper Countryside Agency chief executive Richard Wakeford said: "The White Paper correctly identifies the need to get formulae right. They must take into account the rural dimension. Any allocation formula needs to take account of the higher costs of delivering services - travel costs are far higher in rural areas, for instance in super sparse areas of North Yorkshire 14.4% of the total cost of providing a service is down to travel costs.. 

"Rural local authorities also lose out on economies of scale. It is more expensive to deliver services to scattered populations. For example; it costs £26.20 per week to provide a home care assistant to prepare and cook meals to an individual where there is no meals on wheels delivery. Where this service can be provided to a number of people the cost is £5.41 per week. (source CCN; Population Sparsity and Personal Social Services, 1998). 

"With our experience of service delivery demonstration projects the Countryside Agency is in a good position to help ensure that the allocation of funds to local government takes full account of rural factors.Rural people don't look for special treatment - but they do deserve the same opportunity as anyone else to obtain access to essential services."

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We welcome other measures in the White Paper too:

the planned national framework of standards and accountability needs to include Rural Services Standards developed by the Countryside Agency following the Rural White Paper. 

We also welcome the Government's commitment to reduce the amount of bureaucracy faced by local authorities - in particular the commitment to reduce the number of plans and strategies. This will be of particular benefit to smaller rural authorities who do not have the resources to dedicate to writing plans and strategies and was meant also to focus on delivering quality public services.

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The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising Government and taking action on issues affecting the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside. www.countryside.gov.uk