Regional breakdown: who benefits?
Updated on 13 November 2007
English politicians claim that the Scots get more than their fair share of public money in the United Kingdom. But is it really true?
New analysis conducted for Channel 4 News says that if you compare public spending with need, London actually gets much more than its fair share.
Scotland gets slightly more than it strictly needs, but the rest of the country loses out. And the English regions, with no devolved assemblies and no credible secessionist movement, do worst of all out of the deal.
The numbers explained
The first column is the net amount the government spends in each country or region - so it's the money spent in that region, minus the money raised in taxes.
Slightly more is spent in Scotland than is raised in tax. In London, much less is spent in taxes.
The second column is the amount of 'discretionary spending' per head in each region. This includes things like health, police, and education, but not social security, as the government doesn't control where this money goes.
Northern Ireland gets the most, followed by London, Scotland and Wales. The East of England and the East Midlands get the least.
But perhaps people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland deserve it most? Answer - almost, but not quite.
Column three compares the money spent compared to the needs of the recipients. A figure of 100 means need and spending are in perfect balance; a figure of more than 100 shows that people get more than they 'need'; a figure of less than 100 means spending doesn't match 'need'.
By this analysis, London gets far more spending than it needs, by a country mile. The Scots also get more than their fair share, but not by so much.
Everyone else, including the Northern Irish, get less than they deserve. The South West and the West Midlands get the worst deal of all relative to need.
| Region | Net government spending 2004/5 (£bn) | Discretionary spending per head 2006/7 (£) | Money received relative to need (100 = perfect match) |
| London | -25.1 | 5406 | 171 |
| Scotland | 3.7 | 5317 | 114 |
| Northern Ireland | 3.8 | 5553 | 99 |
| South East | -24.1 | 3776 | 98 |
| North West | 2.4 | 4582 | 92 |
| East of England | -13.3 | 3537 | 88 |
| North East | 4 | 4700 | 85 |
| Wales | 5.4 | 4791 | 85 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 1.3 | 4182 | 84 |
| West Midlands | -2.2 | 4096 | 83 |
| South West | -4.8 | 3760 | 81 |
| East Midlands | -3.5 | 3768 | 79 |
| England | n/a | 4222 | 99 |
Why do the Scots get more? It all dates back to the 1880s. For the full details, click here.
