Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
9
Conclusion
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
The business rates system is overly complex, outdated and in urgent need of reform. The baselines used in the business rates retention scheme are over 10 years out of date and their continued use is causing a significant misalignment between the level of funding distributed to local authorities and those …
Government response. The government states it completed a review in 2021 and passed the Non-Domestic Rating Act 2023. It will not reset the business rates retention system before 2025-26, but agrees to consider further improvements in the next Parliament.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
11
Conclusion
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
We agree with the Government that comprehensive reform of the children’s social care system is urgent and necessary. We are concerned, however, at the receding prospect of timely delivery of reforms and note that, despite the additional funding that the Government announced in autumn 2022, the Government’s plans do not …
Government response. The government agrees on the urgency of children's social care reform and has provided £1.5 billion in additional grant for social care for 2024-25, including a recent £500 million uplift. It also committed £165 million over four years to expand …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
12
Recommendation
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
The Government must work urgently with local authorities to better understand their short-term budgetary pressures in this area and work to develop a package of support and funding to enable continued service delivery while wider system reforms are implemented. (Paragraph 77) 44 Financial distress in local authorities
Government response. The government agrees on the urgency of children's social care reform and has announced £1.5 billion in additional grant funding for social care for 2024-25, including a recent £500 million uplift. It also committed £165 million over four years to …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
13
Recommendation
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
The Government should support local authorities by reviewing possible ways of facilitating greater collaboration across local authorities so that they can collectively deliver more children’s care services directly rather than through private suppliers.
Government response. The government commits to supporting greater collaboration among local authorities for collectively delivering care services, citing ongoing co-design work and the Regional Care Cooperative pathfinder programme. It also provided capital funding to increase local authority provision and will publish proposals …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
14
Conclusion
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
While the additional funding announced in Autumn Statement 2022 has provided some brief respite for local authorities facing particularly acute pressures, a consistent and sustainable increase in funding is required. We have heard evidence of ongoing concerns about the continuing cost and demand pressures affecting adult social care. The absence …
Government response. The government details significant additional funding of up to £8.6 billion over two years and £1.5 billion in grant increases for 2024-25 for adult social care, arguing this addresses the pressures and enables local authorities to improve services.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
15
Recommendation
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
We reiterate the recommendation we made in our July 2022 report Long-term Funding of Adult Social Care, that the Government needs to recognise the need for more funding to local authorities for delivery of adult social care, in the order of several billions each year, and to plan a sustainable …
Government response. The government has recognized the pressures in adult social care, making available up to £8.6 billion of additional funding over two years, including over £1.5 billion in new grants for 2024-25, to support local authorities in delivering social care.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
17
Conclusion
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
The rise in numbers of EHC plans following the Children and Families Act 2014 has significantly increased demand for more costly forms of SEND provision and home to school transport. The funding available to local authorities, through the Dedicated Schools Grant or otherwise, is far from sufficient to meet this …
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of tackling SEND provision costs, highlighting a 60% rise in the high needs budget to £10.5 billion by 2024-25, and detailing support programmes like Safety Valve and Delivering Better Value with £1 billion in …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
18
Conclusion
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
The Government’s use of the statutory override and one-off ‘safety valve’ funding are temporary measures and do not address the underlying mismatch between demand, costs, and annual Dedicated Schools Grant funding. They will not prevent local authorities from accumulating further deficits until the underlying mismatch is resolved, and we do …
Government response. The government acknowledges the concern about funding mismatches but states it is already addressing the issue through significant increases to the high needs budget, existing Safety Valve and Delivering Better Value in SEND programmes with additional funding, and published guidance.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
20
Conclusion
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
It is clear that the Government’s aim to improve existing mainstream and locally available special school provision will not be sufficient on its own to influence parents’ Financial distress in local authorities 45 or carers’ views on Education, Health and Care plans. The development of improved locally available provision will …
Government response. The government highlights its existing efforts, including the SEND Green Paper and Improvement Plan, which aim to establish a single national system, implicitly addressing concerns about sufficiency and timing, and stating a further review is unnecessary.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
21
Recommendation
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
The Government should provide clarity to local authorities on its specific expectations for resolving existing DSG budget deficits, and agree with local authorities a set of realistic and achievable steps, supplemented by sufficient additional funding, for eliminating these existing budget deficits. This should be done by 31 March 2024.
Government response. The government states it is already working to provide clarity and support to local authorities through existing programmes like Safety Valve and Delivering Better Value in SEND. These programmes involve bespoke support, individualised local plans, and around £1 billion in …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
23
Recommendation
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
Additional funding for home-to-school transport is necessary in the short-term. Therefore, the Government should assess the benefits of introducing new statutory guidance aimed at encouraging the use of less costly forms of shared transportation. In response to this Report, the Government should set out the results of this assessment in …
Government response. The government states existing statutory guidance already empowers local authorities to make suitable travel arrangements and avoid expensive individual transport. It outlines the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan and investment in new provision that aims to reduce home-to-school travel …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
24
Conclusion
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
We welcome the Government’s decision to increase Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents from 1 April 2024. However, this is an urgent matter that required the Government’s immediate action. It is therefore disappointing that the Government did not implement this change with greater speed …
Government response. The government acknowledges the importance of stable housing, confirms the £1.2 billion investment to increase LHA rates to the 30th percentile from April 2024, and commits to annual reviews of LHA rates. It also highlights ongoing funding for Discretionary Housing …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
28
Recommendation
Third Report - Financial distress in lo…
Accepted
The next Government must ensure that it explores all options for fundamental reform of funding and delivery of social care services and implements reforms that address the underlying causes of the acute funding and delivery pressures that local authorities are currently facing. The Government should also explore how the structure …
Government response. The government outlines its ongoing commitment to extensive system-wide social care reform, citing the People at the Heart of Care white paper, £700 million investment for adult social care, new CQC assessments, and £200 million for children's social care reforms …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government