Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Acknowledged
Temporary central government funding is required to rebuild damaged preventative services.
Conclusion
Rebuilding and strengthening damaged preventative services will require temporary increases in central government funding before the demand for acute services starts to drop. (Conclusion, Paragraph 49)
Government Response Summary
The government is reviewing and updating the New Burdens Doctrine to ensure its effectiveness, including considering how to better account for bidding costs and streamline the payment process for councils.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
38. The New Burdens Doctrine exists to ensure that where central government places new statutory duties or instructs changes in how existing responsibilities must be delivered, local authorities are properly funded. The Government has explored whether the New Burdens Doctrine should be placed on a statutory footing and our view is that this would reduce its effectiveness. The Doctrine is deliberately designed to be dynamic allowing us to respond flexibly to new policy requirements, financial constraints, and delivery risks as they arise. In practice, it functions as a central mechanism for holding departments to account when they introduce new legal duties without local input. Locking it into legislation would limit its ability to evolve alongside wider public service reform. 39. As we look to the future, it is important that the Doctrine continues to reflect the evolving landscape of local government delivery. To that end, we are currently reviewing and updating the New Burdens doctrine to ensure it remains effective and proportionate. As part of this, we are considering how to better account for costs associated with bidding processes and a more efficient way of ensuring councils fully benefit from New Burdens funding by streamlining the payment process, as outlined in the FFR 2.0 consultation.