THE COUNCIL’S finance chief has met with a Government minister to plead for equal funding with neighbouring boroughs.

Councillor Joe Goldberg (Lab), cabinet member for finance, met with local government minister Bob Neill (Con) last week to discuss what he believes is a shortfall in the borough’s funding from central Government.

Haringey’s formula grant – the main settlement that councillors can spend how they like – is set to be around £141 million for 2012-13, less than Camden, Islington and Hackney, despite the borough having one of the biggest populations and meaning less money per head.

Haringey also suffers from being treated like an outer London borough for school funding, despite having to pay teachers inner London rates, leaving a shortfall of about £1,500 per pupil every year.

Tottenham MP David Lammy (Lab) reacted angrily to the borough’s schools being compared to inner London schools in a debate in the House of Commons last week, and Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone (Lib Dem) has been running a long campaign for fair funding.

And figures released last year by the Office for National Statistics showed that Haringey had the fourth highest level of deprivation in London.

Cllr Goldberg said: “This enormous funding gap places front-line services in jeopardy, the knock-on effect of which will be felt by many people.

“We’re not prepared to simply sit back and accept an unjust settlement that will impact our services, our schools and our residents.”

The Government has promised to look at the issue, as well as requests from the council for extra funding for regeneration in the areas affected by last year’s riots.