A COUNCIL chief has called on the government for future funding to recognise the ‘additional cost’ of rural areas.

Councillor Andrew Jarvis, the deputy leader of Westmorland and Furness Council, spoke of the additional cost of providing services in rural areas.

Councillor Jarvis, who is also the cabinet member for finance, told the council chamber the government are indicating that the longer-term financial settlement for local government will include ‘significant reform’ to funding allocations.

This is to ensure it reflects an up-to-date assessment of both need and local resources, the Liberal Democrat councillor stated.

Cllr Jarvis said reform was ‘clearly welcome’ but added it was ‘important’ that it reflects the cost of providing services as well as demand.

Cllr Jarvis said: “It’s much more expensive to deliver services in rural areas. Distances add cost to transportation. It means social care workers see fewer residents, each of our trucks has further distance between collecting waste and further to go back meaning they’re less efficient than in city areas.

“The previous government never fully adopted the sparsity elements of the funding formula they used in 2013.

“As a result, rural areas get lower grants from governments and residents in all rural areas pay much higher council tax. This is not fair, and we need to ensure that any fairer funding recognises the additional cost of rural areas as well as the demands of their different communities.”

Members of the cabinet were told in February that the council received the third lowest amount of early years funding from the Department for Education due to cost area adjustments in a government formula which diverts more money to urban areas.

Westmorland and Furness Council receives an hourly funding rate for two year olds of £7.20 from the government in comparison to £11.80 which Camden Council receives, according to figures from the Early Years Alliance.

From April 2024 all eligible working parents of two-year-olds have been able to access 15 hours per week of free educational provision and from September 2024 all eligible working parents of children aged nine months up to three-year-olds have been able to access 15 hours per work extending to 30 hours from September 2025.

The former cabinet member for children’s services, education and skills, councillor Sue Sanderson previously said: “Westmorland and Furness is the third lowest funded local authority in the country due to the area cost adjustments which divert more funding to urban authorities.

“Westmorland and Furness Council did respond to the DfE (Department for Education) consultation strongly voicing our concern over the lack of funding for more rural areas.”

Cabinet member for finance councillor Andrew Jarvis previously said the lack of funding rural areas receive was ‘insidious’.

He added: “We know we have one of the lowest public health grants in the country, I believe the RSN (Rural Services Network) estimated that rural councils receive around £130 per resident less in government funding. That’s a huge sum of money, that would be around £30 million for us.”