This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Revised package of Supporting People funding
23/12/2004
A revised package of Supporting People funding and allocations to Scotland's 32 local authorities, worth more than £1.2 billion over three years, was announced today.
Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm said he had listened to the views of CoSLA, local authorities and representatives of independent providers about the pace of redistribution envisaged in the allocations previously announced in October.
The new package includes £3.4 million of additional funding over the next three years and slows down the rate at which funding is redistributed between local authorities.
Mr Chisholm said:
"We are committed to ensuring a fairer distribution of resources across Scotland, but I have listened to the concerns raised by CoSLA, local authorities, providers and other stakeholders about the pace of redistribution originally proposed.
"It is important that we ensure change is manageable locally. Providing additional funding and slowing down the redistribution process will help protect crucial Supporting People-funded services that vulnerable people rely on to live independently in their communities.
"Equally, I can't ignore evidence that efficiency savings are possible and a fairer distribution of resources is essential. But this revised allocation package softens the impact of the redistribution process very considerably. I am also allowing councils to carry forward resources from the current year into 2005-06 to further ease transitional pressures.
"I can assure third party providers and representatives of the different clients helped by Supporting People we will be tracking the impact of these budget changes very carefully, both to ensure that the expected efficiency gains are delivered, and also that any funding changes don't disproportionately affect any one type of provider.
"We inherited a programme doing a lot to help 80,000 people a year live independently, but one also in need of reform. I am firmly committed to ensuring that CoSLA, third party providers and other stakeholders are all fully involved in future thinking about the programme."
The Supporting People programme, which went live on April 1, 2003, provides housing support for vulnerable people in Scotland, including homeless people, victims of domestic abuse and older people, allowing them to move to independent living or to sustain independent living in their homes.
The allocations announced today supersede those previously announced on October 1.
The allocations are based on a formula that more fairly allocates funding to relative need nationally and the objectives of the programme, and takes account of the way in which Ministers wish to reform the programme.
30 per cent of funding is allocated against the proportion of older people in each local authority area, with 30 per cent of funding allocated against local rates for homelessness, 20 per cent against the number of people in each are claiming the disability living allowance and 20 per cent against deprivation.
The transitional reform fund of over £20 million is being used to support local authorities most affected by the redistribution process.
Efficiency savings of six per cent over three years are being sought in the overall budget, in line with the savings sought in England, but the move to a fairer distribution of funding across Scotland means that some councils gain resources while others lose funding.
The maximum reduction for any council in the allocations announced on October 1 was 31 per cents. Under the terms of today's announcement no council will lose more than 18 per cent over three years and no more than 7.5 per cent next year.
The latter is now in line with commitments given in England on the maximum level of any funding reduction. End year flexibility arrangements will provide further transitional support for councils.
Allocations, (taking account of some minor corrections to the statistical data underpinning the formula calculations), for each authority, for the years 2005-06; 2006-07; and 2007-08 are:
Aberdeen - 12,306,000; 11,881,000; 11,882,000.
Aberdeenshire - 9,375,000; 9,440,000; 9,707,000.
Angus - 6,404,000; 6,460,000; 6,688,000.
Argyll & Bute - 13,782,000; 13,261,000; 12,222,000.
Clackmannanshire - 3,093,000; 3,242,000; 3,851,000.
Dumfries & Galloway - 13,948,000; 13,420,000; 12,368,000.
Dundee - 11,672,000; 11,748,000; 12,055,000.
East Ayrshire - 6,184,000; 6,464,000; 7,609,000.
East Dunbartonshire - 5,438,000; 5,237,000; 5,238,000.
East Lothian - 8,663,000; 8,336,000; 7,683,000.
East Renfrewshire - 5,789,000; 5,570,000; 5,134,000.
Edinburgh - 41,343,000; 39,778,000; 36,661,000.
Eilean Siar - 357,000; 454,000; 851,000.
Falkirk - 8,275,000; 8,439,000; 9,109,000.
Fife - 26,207,000; 24,506,000; 24,507,000.
Glasgow - 71,765,000; 73,159,000; 78,852,000.
Highland - 12,849,000; 11,728,000; 11,728,000.
Inverclyde - 7,979,000; 7,684,000; 7,685,000.
Midlothian - 5,616,000; 5,404,000; 4,981,000.
Moray - 6,401,000; 6,159,000; 5,677,000.
North Ayrshire - 13,602,000; 12,242,000; 12,066,000.
North Lanarkshire - 24,845,000; 25,045,000; 25,862,000.
Orkney Islands - 357,000; 422,000; 689,000.
Perth & Kinross - 6,226,000; 6,395,000; 7,086,000.
Renfrewshire - 16,971,000; 16,329,000; 15,049,000.
Scottish Borders - 5,956,000; 5,750,000; 5,751,000.
Shetland Islands - 788,000; 815,000; 926,000.
South Ayrshire - 8,172,000; 7,975,000; 7,975,000.
South Lanarkshire - 23,189,000; 22,333,000; 22,333,000.
Stirling - 3,800,000; 3,966,000; 4,649,000.
West Dunbartonshire - 16,187,000; 15,575,000; 14,355,000.
West Lothian - 9,761,000; 9,783,000; 9,871,000.
Scotland - 407,300,000; 399,000,000; 401,100,000