DCSF statement about funding - our experience

We've had a bit of an interesting if exasperating situation recently and I'm wondering if any of you have any thoughts or advice ?
First of all I saw Andy had posted on EMHE the good news about the new DCSF statement about funding . . . .wey hey !

Education Otherwise has just had the following statement confirmed by DCSF:

"Parents of home educated young people between the age of 14 and 16 who
have the offer of a place at college 2010-2011 subject to funding can ask
their local authority to pay the college fees.

In all cases where the LA agrees to pay the fees, the LA is guaranteed to
be able to recoup the money by including the young person in the
Alternative
Provision census in January 2011"

We were so very thrilled, this was the way to go we thought to get our lovely girl onto the course she wants without having to wait until she's 16, the other option we have is to find the money ourselves so we thought it was well worth a try anyway, so I rang Derby LA home ed dept. I asked to speak to Jane Gregory, who I must say always seems very supportive, she wasn't in and they said she'd ring back that day so I left my numbers. That day we heard nothing.
We rang again the next day and I was put through to Jane with no problem, we passed pleasantries and then she waded straight in to "I guess you are ringing me about the new DCSF information on the EO website?"
I have a feeling she'd spent the previous day either talking to other people about the statement or that in response to my first phone call she'd been checking up on the position Derby are going to take over it.
Basically the long and the short is that the LA can.in their wisdom agree to take the money out of the schools budget and fund somebody, they can then claim then claim the money back as stated in the DSCF info. The important word there is CAN not will, or should, or are obliged to . . . . that would have been nice, imagine if they were obliged to fund us !
Jane told me that Derbyshire's current take on the situation is that because there isn't any funding available directly for HE there is no pot ready to take the money out of, and because the govt no longer have a labour PM and this funding is a result/left over of the HE review which was a Labour initiative, Derbyshire in their wisdom have decided they aren't going to pay out for anyone until things at 'the top' are more settled.
If they do decide to pay for anyone it is only for colleges within the county and Lana's was in Notts but I don't suppose Notts LA would fund somebody who doesn't live in their county.
It seems then that is it, no funding except at the whim of those who don't want to part with it.
Back to the drawing board.

Dx