DEVON County Council’s cabinet member for finance condemned a ‘clear disparity between urban and rural funding’ after the budget was set last week.

While Cllr John Clatworthy said the Government had recongnised the disparity, and granted Devon an extra £8.4-million, he said the county does not receive average funding.

The budget meeting last Thursday confirmed how the extra £8.4-million, which made Devon County Council the fourth highest beneficiary in the country after lobbying from council leader John Hart and the county’s MPs, would be spent.

An extra £5-million will go into strengthening resilience in social care for elderly and vulnerable people, as Devon’s population continues to age, and meeting new burdens on spending.

A further £1.5-million will be set aside to fund the county’s response to severe storms with an extra £1-million spent on highways drainage and safety defects.

The sum of £1-milliom will be set aside to fund public health and more efficient and cost-effective working, using new technology. In addition, £40,000 extra will go to support the Citizens’ Advice Bureau.

Cllr Clatworthy said after the budget was agreed last week: “I did not come into local government to see fewer resources to support our communities. On the contrary, we need the right level of financial support.

“Devon does not receive average funding and there is a clear disparity between urban and rural funding.”

Cllr Clatworthy said, on average, rural areas received £130 per person less Government funding than urban areas.

He said Devon’s schools received £287 less per pupil than the national average. If Devon received the average it would mean an extra £25-million for the county’s schools, he said.

In Public Health, he said Devon received £38 per person compared with a national average of £69, while the City of London received £200 per person. According to Cllr Clatworthy, if Devon received the average it would mean an additional £22.4-million.

Cllr Clatworthy added: “When it comes to transport infrastructure, for every £100 spent in the South East we receive £7.50 in the South West.

“Because we are receiving less than the average funding, many authorities must be receiving well above the average.

“That cannot be right or equitable and needs to be addressed because the cuts are felt harder on authorities with less than average funding.”

Cllr Clatworthy said that the Government’s austerity agenda meant that between 2010 and 2019, almost £250-million would have been removed from Devon’s budget.

But, for 2016/17, the county council would still be spending £443.5-million on services. After allowing for inflation and other spending pressures, that represented savings of £34.3-million on the current year.

In spite of this, there would be an increase of £11.3-million in the budget for children and £5-million in the budget for adult care.

The majority of councillors voted to accept the budget, which is based on a council tax rise of 3.99%.

This is £46.35 a year extra for the average Band D council taxpayer, taking their bill for county council services to £1,207.62. The increase is 90p a week for the average council taxpayer.

The overall increase comprises a 1.99% rise in the general council tax with 2% extra to help pay specifically for adult social care.

Councillors decided last month to accept the Government’s offer to increase council tax by 2% to help pay for adult social care.