Question reference: S4W-29088
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 21 December 2015
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Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 January 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government by how much the grant-aided expenditure (GAE) paid to Argyll and Bute Council is reduced as a result of the reallocation of GAE from non-island authorities to island authorities to cover additional costs of island education.
Answer
In 2015-16 Argyll and Bute Council lose £89,000 in grant aided expenditure (GAE) provision as a result of the reallocation of GAE to recognise teacher remoteness and distant islands allowances. They also lose a further £58,000 from the secondary school teaching staff secondary indicator. Only the three wholly Island authorities gain from these reallocations.
Argyll and Bute Council does however gain £3.293 million from the reallocation of primary school teaching staff secondary indicator that recognises the percentage of pupils in small schools.
Argyll and Bute Council also receives an extra £1.970 million from the special islands needs allowance which recognises that it costs more to provide services to island communities as well as an extra £15.566 million over and above their formula share of funding as a result of the main funding floor which protects councils from significant year-on-year reductions in funding.