Health–Getting it Right

Abstract

In this chapter and the next, we turn our attention to formula funding in England. Most ‘British’ books about social policy turn out to be ‘English’ books, because the authors have data for England only, or because England is by far the largest part of the UK, or – at worst – because the authors are barely aware that the Territories exist, or that they may do things differently there. In this book, the reason for separate treatment of England is different. Both the Territories and England have formula funding for domestic services. However, in the Territories the formula is Barnett. In England it is very different. There are formulae for health, and a set of formulae for services delivered by local authorities, which includes most of the other big-ticket domestic services (school education; personal social services; police; fire; most highways; social housing). The formulae are, or purport to be, needs-based. Because needy people tend to live in different places to non-needy people, they therefore have strong geographical implications.