Not enough spending on fun

Not enough spending on fun

Council spending on "fun" has increased - but not by enough, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

While there was an increase of 2.29 per cent in net expenditure per head on leisure and recreation services, CIPFA says this was "barely sufficient" to keep up with inflation.

The biggest individual area of spending was on indoor sport, which accounted for more than a third, followed by outdoor sport (22.2 per cent) and arts (17.1 per cent).

The distribution varies, with county councils placing more emphasis on funding arts activities (spending 33 per cent), compared with district councils, which spend 63 per cent of their total expenditure on funding sports, both indoor and outdoor.

Wales spends the most per head - pounds 38.19 - although this is down by pounds 2.72, followed by London, which spends pounds 35.22. Metropolitan areas spend pounds 29.55 and English shire counties and districts spend pounds 28.29 per head. Glenda Cooper