The Fund
Following the success of a pilot scheme in 2002-03, when £95m was allocated to all 32 Scottish local authorities, Ministers agreed to set up a 3 year fund of £180m:
- £50m for 2003-04
- £60m for 2004-05
- £70m for 2005-06
The fund was distributed to councils weekly on the same basis as, and with, the core Aggregate External Finance grant.
The Spending Review 2004 allocated a further £100m for 2006-08
- £50m for 2006-07
- £50m for 2007-08
and reflected a commitment to focus on improving the environment and promoting community well-being of communities across Scotland.
The published evaluation of Quality of Life (September 2007) can be accessed here. The evaluation research findings summary can be found here.
The Concordat agreed between the Scottish Government and COSLA in November 2007, and the accompanying change to funding arrangements for local authorities announced in the Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007, has resulted in Quality of Life fund being subsumed into the core grant to local authorities. There is no longer an amount specifically identified for Quality of Life funding and councils now have more flexibility in determining allocations to meet local needs and priorities.