The Barnett formula and fiscal devolution
This briefing looks at how the Barnett formula works and includes a brief summary of the debate surrounding the formula.

This briefing paper gives figures on public spending in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It also gives figures for the English regions.
Public spending by country and region (550 KB , PDF)
In 2023/24, public spending per person in the UK as a whole was £12,958. In England, it was £12,625 (3% below the UK average). This compares with:
Source: HM Treasury, Country and regional analysis: 2024, 20 November 2024, table A.3b
Among the English regions, public spending per person was lowest in the East Midlands at £11,603 (10% below the UK average) and highest in London at £14,842 (15% higher than the UK average).
Across the UK, more money is spent on social protection than on any other function, followed by health. The breakdown is reasonably consistent across all countries and regions.
Almost all of the data in this briefing comes from HM Treasury’s Country and regional analysis: 2024, which also contains a detailed functional breakdown and a database that can be used for further analysis.
Public spending by country and region (550 KB , PDF)
This briefing looks at how the Barnett formula works and includes a brief summary of the debate surrounding the formula.
The government proposes to change the way total funding for local authorities is distributed, aiming to make it fairer and simpler.
A briefing paper on the June 2025 government consultation on reforming local government funding, "The Fair Funding Review 2.0"