Major ‘sub-UK’ levels of government

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 1 - What is the Barnett formula?
The Barnett formula is a system of grants which
dictates the level of public spending in Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland. Under it, extra funding
- or cuts - from Westminster are allocated(distribui)
according to the population size of each nation and
which powers are devolved to them.
When the UK government increases or decreases
funding for departments such as health and
education in England, the Barnett formula is used to
decide how much devolved governments will
receive.
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The formula is named after its inventor, the
former Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Joel Barnett, who devised it in 1978 as a
temporary solution to settle rows(pelea) about
government spending allocations. It was also
partly created to allow for Scotland's lower
average incomes, larger physical area, and
healthcare and housing needs.

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Scotland's public spending windfall (ben inesper
goes back more than a century
In the 1880s the "Goschen Proportion" - which was
named after the then Chancellor George Goschen -
channelled £11 to Scotland for every £80 spent in
England and Wales because there were roughly 11
Scots for every 80 people in England and Wales.
Scotland's population fell below 11/80th of the
population of England and Wales in 1901, so it
started receiving more public spending per head than
England. The proportion was the first time the UK
government had used a formula to distribute public
spending across the constituent nations. 4
In 2016/17, public spending per head in the UK as
a whole was £9,159.
In England, it was £8,898 (3% below the UK
average). This compares with:

. Wales: £10,076 (10% above the UK average)

• Scotland: £10,651 (16% above the UK average)
• Northern Ireland: £11,042 (21% above the UK
average).

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Among the English regions, public spending per
head was lowest in the South East at £8,111
(11% below the UK average) and highest in
London at £10,192 (11% higher than the UK
average).

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 Why is it controversial?
The main reason the formula has come under criticism is
that public spending per head is considerably different in
different parts of the UK. It has typically been 20% higher
in Scotland than in England, for example.
That's left some countries feeling short changed.
Politicians in Wales - where overall GDP remains lower
than any other part of the UK - have said the country
misses out to the tune of £300m a year.
Some argue a needs-based system - which would take
into account factors such as the age of the population
and levels of poverty - would be a fairer formula.
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 2 - EVEL
English
Vote for
English
Laws

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'English votes' rules used for first time
in House of Commons

BBC News 12 January 2016

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New "English votes for English laws" rules have been
implemented in the House of Commons for the first time.
Conservative MPs cheered as English and Welsh members
prepared to give their consent to parts of the Housing and
Planning Bill that only apply to their constituencies.
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said he was "very proud"
to be implementing the reforms.
But the SNP said the changes were "driving Scotland out of
the door".
They were introduced in response to calls for a stronger
voice for English MPs following increased devolution to
Scotland.

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EVEL is the present answer to the West
Lothian question

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 3-Local government (in England)

The pattern of local government in England is

complex, with the distribution of functions
varying according to the local arrangements.
Legislation concerning local government in
England is decided by the Parliament and
Government of the United Kingdom, because
England does not have a devolved parliament or
regional assemblies, outside Greater London.

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 Regional authorities

England has, since 1994 been subdivided into

nine regions. One of these, London, has an
elected Assembly and Mayor, but the others
have a relatively minor role: Regional
Development Agencies were abolished in 2012
although unelected "leader's boards" continue
as consultative forums.

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 Below the region level and excluding London, England has
two different patterns of local government in use.

(1) Some areas have only one level of local

government: These are unitary authorities (55).

Besides, the City of London Corporation and the Council of the

Isles of Scilly are sui generis authorities, pre-dating recent
reforms of local government.

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(2) In other areas there is a county council responsible
for services such as education, waste management and
strategic planning within a county, with several non-
metropolitan district councils responsible for services
such as housing, waste collection and local planning.
These councils are elected in separate elections.
Most of Greater London is governed by London
borough (distrito) councils.

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(2a) There are 34 'upper tier' authorities. The non-
metropolitan counties function as local education
authorities:
• 27 non-metropolitan counties
• 6 metropolitan counties
• The Greater London Authority

(2b) There are 269 'lower tier' authorities, which all have
the function of billing authority for Council Tax. The
metropolitan and London boroughs also function as local
education authorities:
• 201 non-metropolitan districts
• 36 metropolitan boroughs
• 32 London boroughs 19
Green: unitary authority
 
Orange: London borough
 
Red: metropolitan borough
 
Rose: two-tier non metropolitan
county

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 Local government (in Wales)
For local government purposes, Wales has since
1 April 1996 been divided into 22 single-tier
principal areas. The elected councils of these
areas are responsible for the provision of all
local government services, including education,
social work, environmental protection, and most
highways.

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Below these there are also (in most, but not all,
parts of the principal areas) elected community
councils to which responsibility for specific aspects
of the application of local policy may be devolved. 
The principal areas are variously styled as county,
county borough, city or city and county, although
this is a distinction not always respected in the
media, including the BBC, which refers to all 22
areas simply as counties.
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 OVERALL
• Financial imbalance between the four ‘founding
nations’…
• …matched by political imbalance between them
Both apparently favouring the ‘Celtic Fringes’

• Lack of regional power to check Westminster and

Whitehall

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AND YET IT MIGHT BE THAT THE UK IS
DIVIDED ALONG VERY DIFFERENT
LINES

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