COUNCIL leader Marie Rimmer has welcomed news that the Government is to look at ways to make the allocation of local government finance fairer -- although it could be 2004 before the effects are felt by authorities.

St Helens has been at the forefront of the fight to make funding fairer to attract more Government cash to the borough. For years the council has lobbied the Government to scrap an unfair criteria which gives huge amounts of aid to towns with large tourist numbers and a high percentage of ethnic minorities, neither of which St Helens has.

By contrast, vital issues surrounding social and economic poverty are not addressed via the current funding system which had the effect of creating high local council tax and low Government grant for the town.

"For some time St Helens has lost out on cash because of a complicated funding formula in which more prosperous areas benefited while other, more needy places, suffered", said Councillor Rimmer. "I am told that this new Government initiative will create a local government finance system that distributes grant fairly and effectively and gives authorities greater financial autonomy to help them better meet the needs of the local communities".

She added that St Helens would remain a key voice in further consultation with the Government and stressed the council would continue to press for additional finance in advance of the changes.