Assembly owes us extra pounds 11m; Spending assessment wrong says council.

Byline: GARETH HUGHES

A NORTH Wales council last night demanded an extra pounds 11m in grants amid claims its spending needs were hugely underestimated.

Denbighshire County Council is going cap in hand to the National Assembly for the money the authority insists it is owed.

Its chances of getting hold of the cash were yesterday dismissed as negligible.

But Councillor Paul Marfleet, finance and personnel boss, said AMs and officials would recognise the injustice of the situation and make the money available.

In December all 22 Welsh councils received details of their Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) grants for 2005-6.

They are based on ``caseloads'' - the numbers of people who fall into categories such as school children or the elderly.

Experts from York university drew up the criteria for the Assembly.

But the ``caseload'' for vulnerable young adults was not announced until last month - after the grants were allocated.

``I couldn't believe the figures when I examined them, '' said Mr Marfleet.

``Denbighshire has 2, 050 vulnerable young adults which represents 9. 5% of the total caseload.

``While our grant of pounds 6m was based on our having only 3. 06%.

``That means that we should be entitled to an extra pounds 10. 8m, '' he added.

Mr Marfleet wrote to all North Wales AMs highlighting the situation and asking for their support.

``I know the settlement has been agreed but the Assembly has up to pounds 100m in unallocated funds, so surely they could make some of that available. The council has to maintain a certain level of support for its residents and with us not receiving the full grant we are entitled to we have to spread our money more thinly across the county, '' he added.

Vale of Clwyd AM Ann Jones said she understood there was no more money available.

She has asked Assembly officials for an assurance the authority will in future get the appropriate funding if Denbighshire's figures stood up to ``robust scrutiny''.

``Denbighshire has a relatively small population but does have a high proportion of young adults, '' she said.