Want the best Coventry and Warwickshire news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Sign up here! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Theresa May’s £1 billion deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is short-changing the West Midlands.

That's according to new figures, which show how the funding for English regions is dwarfed by the controversial Conservative-DUP pact.

Northern Ireland is getting 18 times as much funding as the West Midlands, an analysis by the House of Commons library shows.

Northern Ireland is to get an extra £244 per person every year, to be spent on services such as schools, hospitals and major transport schemes, as the Birmingham Mail reports.

Meanwhile, the Government’s devolution deal with the West Midlands provides the region with just £13 per person each year.

The analysis, conducted at the request of Labour MPs, shows how money for English regions is dwarfed by the cash pouring into Northern Ireland in return for a pledge that the DUP’s 10 MPs will support the Tories in the House of Commons.

(Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

Council leaders in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley, Solihull, Wolverhampton and Coventry signed a devolution deal with the Government in November 2015 which included funding of £36 million a year, for a period of 30 years. It will be spent largely on measures to grow the economy.

And earlier this week, Prime Minister Theresa May agreed a deal with the DUP, the largest party in Northern Ireland, to provide an extra £1 billion in funding. Most of this will be provided over two years, although £150 million is provided over a five year period.

In return, the DUP’s 10 MPs will support the Government in key House of Commons votes such as those on the Queen’s Speech and the Budget.

(Image: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)

Both deals come on top of the usual funding provided by the Government.

While both agreements are worth around £1 billion, the Northern Ireland deal is actually far more generous. That’s partly because Northern Ireland has a population of 1.8 million, while the area covered by the West Midlands agreement contains 2.8 million people.

It's also because the funding for the West Midlands is spread out over a much longer period.

The analysis show that funding for one person in Northern Ireland each year is more than the funding for 18 people in the West Midlands.

And it’s a similar picture in other English regions, many of which have signed their own devolution deals with the Government.

The £244 annual funding per person for Northern Ireland compares to £11 going to Greater Manchester and £22 going to the Sheffield City Region.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Tees Valley is getting £23 and the Liverpool City Region gets £20.

The North East, including Newcastle and the surrounding area, stands to get £15 per person each year under a proposed deal which has not yet been agreed.

Devolution deals for the English regions involved the Government providing cash to new regional combined authorities, usually on the condition that they agreed to be led by a directly-elected mayor.

Mrs May's DUP deal follows the general election which resulted in the Conservatives losing their Commons majority.

Without the support of DUP MPs she would be in danger of losing important votes, potentially leading to the collapse of her government.

The Treasury have been asked for a comment.

How the cash is spread out

Devolution Deal Annual amount (£m) Population (m) Per person annual amount (£) Per person more given to Northern Ireland (£) Greater Manchester 30.0 2.7 11 233 Sheffield City Region 30.0 1.4 22 222 North East 30.0 2.0 15 229 Tees Valley 15.0 0.7 23 221 West Midlands 36.5 2.8 13 231 Liverpool City Region 30.0 1.5 20 224 East Anglia 30.0 2.3 13 231 Greater Lincolnshire 15.0 1.1 14 230 West of England 30.0 1.1 27 217

The Northern Ireland deal comes to £244 per person per year.