Guidance
Devolved areas post-16 capacity allocations
How the post-16 capacity funding 2026 to 2030 allocation for devolved areas is calculated.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This allocation is providing £184 million to strategic authorities to provide additional capacity in statutory 16 to 19 providers, where there is a demographic increase in learners and not enough existing suitable capacity to accommodate that increase.
In February 2026 the following allocations were made to strategic authorities:
| Mayoral Strategic Authority or local authority | Allocation total |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | £19,924,051 |
| Greater Manchester | £11,675,083 |
| North East | £11,066,161 |
| Liverpool City Region | £10,935,835 |
| South Yorkshire | £10,114,166 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | £11,168,826 |
| Tees Valley | £6,100,270 |
| West of England | £5,997,432 |
| Total | £86,981,824 |
The remaining funding will be paid to the outstanding strategic authorities in spring 2026.
| Mayoral Strategic Authority or local authority | Allocation total |
|---|---|
| East Midlands Combined County Authority | £22,045,589 |
| Lancashire Combined County Authority | £11,552,272 |
| Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority | £9,970,417 |
| Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority | £9,326,925 |
| Buckinghamshire Council | £8,600,887 |
| Surrey County Council | £7,670,525 |
| Warwickshire County Council | £7,570,024 |
| Cornwall Council | £7,366,974 |
| West Yorkshire Combined Authority | £5,829,462 |
| Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority | £5,199,660 |
| York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority | £1,961,135 |
| Total | £97,093,870 |
The methodology provides detailed information about the method we have used to calculate the funding.
The memorandum of understanding is between the Department for Education and strategic authorities for creating post-16 capacity.
Updates to this page
Published 14 May 2026