Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 62
The Government should publish real-time and regular evaluation, both of the trailblazer scheme and of...
Recommendation
The Government should publish real-time and regular evaluation, both of the trailblazer scheme and of the charging reforms when they are rolled out more widely, so that local authorities can apply insights quickly and so that the Government can provide further funding in a timely manner where necessary should its modelling prove inaccurate to prevent further market instability.
Government Response Summary
The government states it understands the benefits for councils of a Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) spanning multiple years and will aim to provide a multi-year funding settlement wherever possible in recognition of its importance to councils’ budget setting processes and to delivering excellent public services.
Paragraph Reference:
62
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We understand the benefits for councils of a Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) spanning multiple years. We will aim to provide a multi-year funding settlement wherever possible in recognition of its importance to councils’ budget setting processes and to delivering excellent public services. We released a policy statement in December to provide forward notice of some of the measures which will be included in the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2023–24 and the elements we expect to maintain into 2024–25. By providing this information ahead of the provisional settlement and setting out expectations for 2024–25 we hoped to support council’s budget setting process by giving councils greater additional, multi-year certainty over their funding levels. The final LGFS for 2023–24 was published on 6 February. Alongside this, the government published an explanatory note for the social care resources within the Settlement to support local authorities in their budget-setting processes for 2024–25. This note set out additional detail on the Social Care Grant, Discharge Funding through the Better Care Fund, and the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund. 18 Government response Conclusion 17 – update the ASC relative needs formula Conclusion 17 - The geographical inequity of relying on council tax to provide the majority of funding for adult social care is compounded by an out-of-date adult social care relative needs formula.