Money set the historical escort total, but convoys set the requirement

Why were only seven Type 41 Leopard- and seven Type 61 Salisbury-class ships built, and how many should Britain have ordered?

Money constrained the historical classes, while a sound requirement would start from the number of convoys Britain intended to run and the escorts needed for each.

Money was the direct historical constraint behind the small classes. That explains why only seven of each type appeared, but it does not establish the force Britain actually needed. A navy should begin with the number of convoys it expects to keep at sea and the protection assigned to each one. Availability, maintenance, and rotation then turn that operational commitment into a building total. The paired answers show why post-war escort numbers have to be judged against both fiscal limits and the missions the ships were expected to sustain.