Local authorities receive funding from the Scottish Executive for community learning and development.
Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) funding for community education totals £121,253,000 for the 32 local authorities in this financial year (2006-07). However, it should be noted that these GAE allocations are neither budgets nor spending targets. They are part of the mechanism used for distributing the overall block grant which the Executive makes available to councils. While the Scottish Executive provides guidance and financial support to local authorities, ultimately it is a matter for the local authorities themselves to decide how much to allocate to individual services, including facilities and projects for young people.