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EU commission recommends needs-based approach

Post-Brexit replacement for European Union structural funds must be allocated on a needs basis, according to the Brexit Advisory Commission for Public Services. The commission recommends that the funding should be directed towards achieving specific outcomes rather than being based on GDP, and that national funding streams should be simplified. Julia Goldsworthy, chair of the commission, said: “A new approach should also be used to give localities and regions greater control over how future funds are shaped and spent. They are best placed to understand how their local economies work and how resource can be most effectively targeted in their area.”

The local government financial crisis has not been caused by a lack of funding: that’s just a symptom of the inherent conflict of having independent local authorities within a highly centralised state, argues Conrad Hall.

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