The following table shows that 30% of our funding comes from the Government. Known as a 'formula grant' this is made up of 'revenue support grant' and a share of the business rates collected nationally. The remaining 70% comes from council tax.
| 2007/08 £000 | Increase £000 | 2008/09 £000 | Share of total funding % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula grant | 91,026 | 2,755 | 93,781 | 29.8 |
| Council tax | 212,958 | 7,650 | 220,608 | 70.2 |
| Total funding (on like-for-like basis) | 303,984 | – | 314,389 | 100 |
| Changes in responsibilities (see note 1 below) | −9,471 | – | – | – |
| 2007/08 funding before changes | 294,513 | – | – | – |
In addition to the formula grant, we will receive about 80 Government grants (worth over £340 million) which are ring-fenced for specifi c services. The largest of these, at £258 million, pays for schools. From 2008/09, 33 of the grants (worth £24 million) have been reclassifi ed as one 'area based grant'. This means they are no longer ring-fenced for specifi c services and we have more fl exibility over how we spend this money.
Note 1: for 2008/09 the Government has changed the way it funds some services (for example Adult Social Care and Children's Services), increasing our overall formula grant rather than giving them specific grants as in previous years. The changes amount to £9.471 million. We have adjusted the 2007/08 figure accordingly so you can compare the budgets on a like-for-like basis.
The following table shows how much we plan to spend on each service this year (2008/09) compared to last year.
| 2007/08 £000 | 2008/09 £000 | Change % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's services | 55,389 | 58,255 | 5.2 |
| Adult social care | 130,113 | 137,558 | 5.7 |
| Transport and environment | 28,078 | 29,771 | 6.0 |
| Waste management | 14,289 | 14,604 | 2.2 |
| Libraries, other community services and providing services online | 9,666 | 9,942 | 2.9 |
| Other services (see note 2) | 16,246 | 17,160 | 5.6 |
| Subtotals | 253,781 | 267,290 | 5.3 |
| Capital financing (see note 3) and contributions to our reserves | 49,774 | 46,613 | −6.4 |
| Payments to certain agencies (see note 4) | 429 | 486 | 13.3 |
| Total spending (on a like-for-like basis) | 303,984 | 314,389 | 3.4 |
| Changes in responsibilities (see note 1) | −9,471 | – | – |
| 2007/08 spending before changes | 294,513 | – | – |
Note 2: this includes managing property, staff, finance, insurance, audit fees, and economic development.
Note 3: capital fi nancing is the yearly cost of borrowing money.
Note 4: these are payments (called levies) to the Environment Agency for flood defence (£163,000); Sussex Sea Fisheries (£236,000); and Ashdown Forest Conservators (£87,000). Total £486,000.
This table shows the increase in spending between 2007/08 and 2008/09 budgets.
| £000 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2007/08 spending before changes | 294,513 | |
| Changes in responsibilities (see note 1) | 9,471 | |
| Total spending 2007/08 (on a like-for-like basis) | 303,984 | |
| Increases in spending | ||
| Inflation | 9,256 | |
| Changes other than inflation | ||
| Investment in children's services | 1,768 | |
| Investment in adult social care | 7,297 | |
| Investment in highways maintenance | 315 | |
| Reserves, funds and balances | −2,914 | |
| Other | 1,085 | |
| Savings | −6,402 | |
| Total spending 2008/09 | 314,389 | |
The Audit Commission (an independent watchdog), gave us top marks for our use of resources and said we continue to provide local people with good services.
Our Environment, Transport and Trading Standards services were rated excellent. Children's Services and libaries were also praised. The Commission said Adult Social Care remains an area for futher improvement, but recognised this is happening through our three year plan.
For a summary of our performance visit eastsussex.gov.uk/councilplan
This year, we plan to invest £58 million on building projects such as the new Bexhill High School, building a new library for Newhaven and undertaking planning work for the Bexhill to Hastings link road application.
Over the next five years we plan to spend almost £400 million on building projects around the county.
We will pay for this by borrowing money, getting Government grants and raising income from selling assets (such as buildings we no longer use).
To find out more about how the County Council spends your money, please contact us:
Email: finance@eastsussex.gov.uk
Or, write to:
The Deputy Chief Executive and
Director of Corporate Resources
East Sussex County Council
County Hall
St Anne’s Crescent
Lewes
BN7 1SF.
East Sussex County Council, County Hall, St Anne's Crescent, Lewes, BN7 1UE. Tel: 01273 481000
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