"When [Labour] last left office, in 2010, the report notes, local authorities provided many services beyond their statutory duties that supported people to live better lives. Authorities ran more Sure Start centres and operated many more libraries. Youth clubs, and youth services, were a common feature of neighbourhoods up and down the country. It was a different era, and one with priorities that the present government is committed to reinstating."
"Last week, the local government minister, Alison McGovern, outlined a funding shake-up intended to redirect resources towards more deprived areas, where councils suffered disproportionately from austerity cuts. Multi-year financial settlements will give councils more certainty and control, while cities will welcome new backing for a modest tourist levy on overnight stays. This is much more than tinkering at the edges, but it is not nearly enough."
"The statutory provision of adult social care now eats up more than two-thirds of council budgets, as the government refuses to grasp the nettle of reform. The delayed publication of the schools white paper on special educational needs and disabilities (Send) means another fiscal crisis has been kicked down the road. According to the County Councils Network, 59 councils would be immediately obliged to declare themselves bankrupt, were it not for a statutory override that allows them to keep Send debt off their main books."
Before austerity, England's councils provided many services beyond statutory duties, including more Sure Start centres, libraries, youth clubs and youth services. The current government has committed to reinstating those priorities and has introduced a funding shake-up to redirect resources to deprived areas, including multi-year financial settlements and support for a modest tourist levy. Despite planned real-terms increases and above-inflation rises, councils remain cash-strapped. Adult social care consumes more than two-thirds of council budgets and unresolved SEND funding issues, compounded by a delayed white paper, risk forcing many councils toward insolvency without further reform or funding.
#local-government-funding #adult-social-care #send-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities #austerity-effects
Read at www.theguardian.com
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