The Standard Spending Assessment as a Measure of Spending Needs in Nonmetropolitan Districts

Abstract

Central government assistance to local government in England is based on the Standard Spending Assessment (SSA), which is intended to reflect the spending needs of each local council. This paper is an evaluation of the methodology used in calculating SSA, with particular reference to the district-level service clement of the All Other Services block of SSA. This element accounts for the vast majority of SSA for nonmetropolitan district councils. The first section of the paper is concerned with the overall structure of the SSA methodology, and the second section is an examination of some of the details of how it was implemented. Barrow-in-Furness is used as an illustrative example. In the conclusion some specific problems are high-lighted and some potential improvements are suggested.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bailey

S J

Paddison

, (Eds), 1988 The Reform of Local Government Finance in Britain (Routledge, Chapman and Hall, Andover, Hants)

Bennett

R J

, 1980 The Geography of Public Finance: Welfare under Fiscal Federalism and Local Government Finance (Methuen, Andover, Hants)

Bennett

R J

, 1982 Central Grants to Local Governments: The Political and Economic Impact of the Rate Support Grant in England and Wales (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge)

Bramley

, 1990 Equalization Grants and Local Expenditure Needs: The Price of Equality (Avebury, Aldershot, Hants)

Champion

A G

Green

A E

Owen

D W

Ellin

D J

Coombes

M G

, 1987 Changing Places: Britain's Demographic, Economic and Social Complexion (Edward Arnold, London)

Coombes

M G

Openshaw

, 1992, “Urban or rural? Measuring sparsity in the distribution of populations”, in Geographical Information Systems and Urban and Rural Planning Ed. Rideout

T W

, (Planning and Environment Study Group, Institute of British Geographers, Edinburgh) pp 80–87

DoE, 1989a, “Application of regression analysis to needs assessments”, NSG:NASG (89) 58 Core (3), Department of the Environment, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3EB

DoE, 1989b, “Work on a composite indicator for the Other Services Block”, NSG:NASG (89) (123) OSB 20, Department of the Environment, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3EB

DoE, 1990, “Standard spending assessments: Background and underlying methodology”, Local Government Finance Policy Directorate, Department of the Environment, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3EB

10.

DoE, 1991, “A new tax for local government: A consultation paper”, Department of the Environment, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3EB

11.

DoE, 1992 Local Government Finance (England): The Revenue Support Grant Distribution (Amendment) (No. 2) Report (England). House of Commons Papers. Session 1991–92 188, Department of the Environment, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3EB

12.

Gibson

, 1990 The Politics and Economics of the Poll Tax: Mrs Thatcher's Downfall (EMAS, Warley)

13.

Holterman

, 1975, “Areas of deprivation in Great Britain: An analysis of 1971 Census data” Social Trends 6 33–47

14.

Newton

Karran

T J

, 1985 The Politics of Local Expenditure (Macmillan, London)

15.

Owen

D W

Coombes

M G

, 1983, “An index of peripherality for local areas in the United Kingdom”, ESU Research Papers 6, Scottish Economic Planning Department, New St Andrew's House, St James Centre 1, Edinburgh

16.

Townsend

Phillimore

Beattie

, 1988 Health and Deprivation: Inequality and the North (Croom Helm, Andover, Hants)

17.

Travers

, 1987 The Politics of Local Government Finance (Allen and Unwin, London)