Boroughs with the biggest residential and workplace populations would be the funding winners under proposals for a shake-up in the way money for local implementation plans is allocated.
London Councils urged the London mayor, Boris Johnson, to go further in reducing the bureaucracy involved in applying for and monitoring funding when he announced that he would give boroughs ‘greater freedom’ than [ex-mayor] Ken Livingstone (Surveyor, 27 November).
The mayor has agreed to base future funding ‘primarily’ on a formula, rather than on assessments of boroughs’ performance, although has warned ‘there is still a need to ensure that agreed outcomes are delivered’.
London Councils’ transport and environment committee has proposed three formulae for different funding pots as Surveyor went to press, which Atkins, commissioned to produce the new formulae for Transport for London, will consider.
These would give more funding to those boroughs with most residents and jobs, biggest road lengths and numbers of bus stops, and the most workplaces and school places. Boroughs would still bid for funding for major schemes and for maintenance.
London Councils acknowledged some boroughs would lose out, but advised that a formula would avoid big swings in funding levels. Councils with relatively few residents and jobs were concerned by the proposals, however.
A spokesman for Kingston upon Thames said the formulae ‘may not benefit boroughs such as Kingston that are working hard to reduce congestion and improve road safety’.
Jeremy Grint, head of spatial regeneration at Barking & Dagenham council, said basing funding on population and jobs would be ‘simplistic’ and backed London Councils’ idea of also factoring in boroughs’ spending track record.
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