ADCS responds to IFS research on Covid-19 and council funding

Commenting on IFS research on Covid-19 and council funding Matt Dunkley, Chair of the ADCS Resources and Sustainability Policy Committee said:
“We agree that the pandemic has created a ‘perfect storm’ for council finances as costs have significantly increased and many vital income streams have reduced. Emergency funding from government has helped in the first phase, but according to the report without additional financial support councils face a £2 billion funding gap this year. Additional financial support for councils will be particularly important for children’s social care, and it’s crucial this is available when we reach our peak of activity. We expect this will arrive in the autumn when children go back to school and the hidden harms from the past six months become apparent.
“If we don’t get the funding we need councils will have to make difficult choices about the future of valued local services and exhaust their reserves when we should be focussing efforts on our ongoing responses to the virus and helping children, families and communities recover. The research suggests potential ways the expected funding shortfall could be mitigated, including via increased grant funding from government or targeted support for councils. While these things may help they are short term solutions to a long term problem; the chronic underfunding of local government and children’s services, we need an ambitious long term funding strategy to address this. Children’s life chances depend on it.”
ENDS
Related Articles
Comment on the results of a survey on local government finance :
In General Funding
Comment on the Resolution Foundation’s analysis of expected cuts to...
In General Funding
Earlier this month, The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Select...
In General Funding
Comment in CYP Now about the impact of cuts made in the Chancellor’s...
In General Funding
In December, the government published its provisional local government finance...
In General Funding
Responding to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget announcement Jenny...
In General Funding
ADCS response to CMA interim report on children’s social care market study
In General Funding
ADCS response to the consultation on eligibility for free school meals and the...
In General Funding
Mainstream school transport: Case Study Cambridgeshire
In General Funding
Response to the NAO report on pressures on children’s social care