Comment: State of local government finance survey 2020

Matt Dunkley, Chair of the ADCS Resources and Sustainability Policy Committee said:

“Many of the messages in this report are not new. Children’s services, along with wider local government services, face significant financial pressures which must be addressed and what we need now is sensible action from the Treasury. Small, time limited pots of funding for some local authorities over others and one-off cash injections are no replacement for sustainable funding for all. Make do and mend is not good enough for our children and young people.

“The report states that many respondents do not have confidence in the sustainability of local government finance and once again children’s services was considered the top immediate pressure on council finances. Local government funding has been halved over the last decade yet more and more children and adults need our help and support. No one should underestimate how hard councils are working to manage demand but there is simply not enough money in the system to be properly preventative and meet the higher level and complexity of need we are now experiencing.

“Local authorities up and down the country are having to make counterintuitive decisions like cutting the very services we know reduce future demand and, crucially, improve the life chances of children and their families. This will cost the public purse more in the long run. It’s surely time for a Budget with children, families and preventative services at its heart.”

ENDS

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