Government response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee report on local government finance and the 2019 Spending Review

This is the government's response, published 29 October 2019.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response sets out recent funding for 2020-21 and agrees with some recommendations (including on social care funding), while stating it has "no plans to undertake a review of council tax".

• On Recommendation 3, the government "agrees with this recommendation" on social care funding and refers to access to £1.5bn of additional funding for social care in 2020-21, plus a proposed 2% Adult Social Care precept.
• On a multi-year settlement, it says it is "aiming to make a multi-year offer" at next year's full Spending Review, balanced against retaining flexibility to reallocate resources.
• On council tax, it says it has no plans for a review, citing that revaluation "would be expensive to undertake and could result in increases in bills for many households".
• On funding reform, it states its aim is to implement the funding review in 2021-22, and that it will "consider appropriate transitional arrangements" once new baselines are established.

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