How deprivation levels affect rural funding

Deprivation levels and funding allocations can sound a bit dry and technical, but the results are important. OCSI analysis just published on the different ways of measuring rural deprivation, and how this affects funding allocations, highlights that rural authorities in Wales would lose roughly £6M per year under proposals for part of the Welsh Supported People programme to be targeted at deprived areas rather than vulnerable groups (wherever they live).

The analysis was commissioned by the Welsh Local Government Information Unit, to look at how deprivation and other social & economic issues are taken into account by funding formulae – and the impact on funding to rural areas. In welcoming the report, the Director of Regeneration & Sustainable Development at the Welsh LGA highlighted “[the report] has clarified a number of key issues in identifying dispersed rural disadvantage. It provides solid research to support the WLGA’s Rural Forum.”

The full report ‘Getting the measure of rural deprivation in Wales’ is available here.

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