A Level Playing Field 1 - Area Forum Budgets

A Level Playing Field 1 – Area Forum Budgets.

An Area Forum is a public Meeting between Ward Councillors and Residents. These have in previous years happened three or four times a year but as of this year, due to cost-cutting, they will only happen twice a year.

Each year the Area Forum is allocated sums of money that can be spent at the behest of the local Councillors (hopefully in consultation with the residents)

The sums of money have been previously allocated under headings such as:-

Area Based Grant

Area Forum Budget

Highways Maintenance Budget

Voluntary Sector Grants

Positive Contributions Budget.

In 2010, the total of money in these pots for Little Lever & Darcy Lever was £33,059

From April 2013, these headings have been reduced to just three. For two of these headings, each Ward receives the same amount of money:-

Area Forum Flat Rate Budget - £6,875 per year for 2013-4 & 2014-5

Highways Maintenance Budget - £9,600 per year for 2013-4 & 2014-5

The third heading which has been newly introduced is the most contentious

Deprivation Budget –

This varies from Ward to Ward as follows. (Figures are from April 2013 to March 2015)

Proposed Neighbourhood Management and Area Forum Budgets 2013 – 2015 Total £1,484,000
	Pot A		Pot B	Pot C	Pot D	TOTAL
Targeted Neighbourhood Renewal Not through the Area Forum.			Area Forum Allocation based on deprivation - must be spent in the target area	Area Forum Flat rate	Highways Flat rate
WARD
Rumworth		£42,835	£76,945	£13,750	£19,200	£152,730
Farnworth		£36,869	£69,661	£13,750	£19,200	£139,480
Halliwell		£32,028	£68,750	£13,750	£19,200	£133,728
Great Lever		£32,880	£66,929	£13,750	£19,200	£132,758
Crompton		£27,320	£50,993	£13,750	£19,200	£111,263
Breightmet		£28,206	£44,619	£13,750	£19,200	£105,775
Tonge with the Haulgh		£17,035	£46,896	£13,750	£19,200	£96,881
Harper Green		£20,854	£39,611	£13,750	£19,200	£93,415
Hulton		£8,746	£14,570	£13,750	£19,200	£56,265
Smithills		£8,046	£14,570	£13,750	£19,200	£55,565
Kearsley		£4,708	£15,025	£13,750	£19,200	£52,683
Westhoughton South		£6,900	£8,651	£13,750	£19,200	£48,500
Bradshaw		£5,000	£9,106	£13,750	£19,200	£47,056
Little Lever and Darcy Lever		£424	£6,374	£13,750	£19,200	£39,748
Astley Bridge		£0	£5,464	£13,750	£19,200	£38,414
Horwich North East		£0	£5,464	£13,750	£19,200	£38,414
Westhoughton North & Chew Moor		£2,432	£1,821	£13,750	£19,200	£37,203
Horwich and Blackrod		£0	£3,642	£13,750	£19,200	£36,592
Heaton and Lostock		£719	£911	£13,750	£19,200	£34,579
Bromley Cross		£0	£0	£13,750	£19,200	£32,950
Total		£275,000	£550,000	£275,000	£384,000	£1,484,000

1)    On this basis and adding Pot A & Pot B,

• Rumworth is 17.6 times more needy than Little Lever & Darcy Lever

• Farnworth is 15.7 times more needy than Little Lever & Darcy Lever

• Halliwell is 14.8 times more needy than Little Lever & Darcy Lever

• Great Lever is 14.7 times more needy than Little Lever & Darcy Lever

                        Do you honestly believe that?

2)    Just on the basis of Deprivation Budgets available to Ward Councillors  (Pot B)

• Rumworth  has 12 times as much money as to spend as Little Lever & Darcy Lever

• Farnworth has 11 times as much money as to spend as Little Lever & Darcy

• Halliwell has 10.8 times as much money as to spend as Little Lever & Darcy

• Great Lever has 10.5 times as much money as to spend as Little Lever & Darcy

Not a very Level Playing Field then !!!!

Promoted by Edith D Sexton, 69 Chester Ave, BL3 1XE on behalf of  Paul Richardson, 24 Ripon Close BL3 1EQ