ABSTRACT
A typical Local Education Authority (LEA) is distributing tens of millions of pounds to several main sectors and hundreds of discrete items. The overlap between LEA and local authority decision-making although exaggerated by corporatism, has always existed. A discreteness and a hierarchy still pertain, of course: the local authority as a whole makes a series of inter-service decisions and fixes the rate, at the same time the LEA must distribute resources among schools. Government may suggest a 'no-growth' situation from one year to next across all authorities, but that does not prevent some aiming for a measure of expansion, either because they are willing to impose large rate increases or as some aspect of the grant calculation is working in their favour. The LEAs need to compete for resources with other services have been exaggerated, not only by contraction, but also through the provisions of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act, 1980 in relation to capital expenditure.
