15
Recommendation
Twenty-Second Report - Reforming adult …
Deferred
We have reported before on the prevalence of short-term, one-off funding for local authorities and recommended that government explore ways to provide greater confidence over long-term funding.31 With regard to adult social care, this lack of financial certainty has constrained local authorities’ and providers’ ability to plan for the longer …
Read more
We have reported before on the prevalence of short-term, one-off funding for local authorities and recommended that government explore ways to provide greater confidence over long-term funding.31 With regard to adult social care, this lack of financial certainty has constrained local authorities’ and providers’ ability to plan for the longer term, and caused investment in areas such as staff training, new accommodation and technological innovation to suffer.32 Local authorities have continued to report financial pressures and last year just under one-fifth of directors responsible for social care reported they were not confident they could meet their statutory duties for care in 2024–25.33 The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) reported that one-year funding settlements for local government, supplemented by short-term and targeted grant funding for adult social care, meant that the conditions and certainty have not been there for councils or providers to embark on multi-year investment programmes to fundamentally transform the services they offer.34
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states the recommendation is implemented, explaining they are learning from reforms and monitoring funding impact to inform future spending review preparations. They commit to working with HM Treasury and DLUHC to ensure the next spending review delivers a sustainable funding package for Adult …
Read full response →
HM Treasury
16
Recommendation
Twenty-Second Report - Reforming adult …
Deferred
We asked about the local government finance settlement for 2024–25, noting that the longer the settlement is delayed, the more difficult it is for local authorities to prepare their budgets. DLUHC told us that in 2022 it had set out a policy statement that outlined not only the settlement for …
Read more
We asked about the local government finance settlement for 2024–25, noting that the longer the settlement is delayed, the more difficult it is for local authorities to prepare their budgets. DLUHC told us that in 2022 it had set out a policy statement that outlined not only the settlement for 2023–24 but also the outlines and main grants for 2024–25. The draft local government settlement for 2024–25 was, however, only published in full in December 2023, and did not include any provision for the update in the minimum wage announced in the autumn statement.35 A £600 million increase to this settlement, including £500 million for adult and children’s social care, was announced during our evidence session, but the final settlement was not confirmed until early February 2024.36 28 RSE0014, 29 Qq 10, 56–60 30 Qq 58–60 31 Committee of Public Accounts: Alcohol treatment services, Fifty-Fourth Report of Session 2022–23, HC 1001, 24 May 2023; and Reducing the harm from illegal drugs, Eleventh Report of Session 2023–24, HC 72, 9 February 2024 32 Committee of Public Accounts, Adult Social Care Markets, Seventh Report of Session 2021–22, HC 252, 16 June 2021 33 C&AG’s Report, para 7 34 RSE0013 35 Qq 3–5 36 Qq 107–115; Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Final local government finance settlement: England, 2024 to 2025, 5 February 2024 14 Reforming adult social care in England
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states the recommendation is implemented, affirming its commitment to providing as much certainty as possible for local authorities through future spending reviews. They are learning from current reforms and monitoring funding to inform preparations for the next spending review, aiming to deliver a …
Read full response →
HM Treasury
17
Conclusion
Twenty-Second Report - Reforming adult …
Deferred
We challenged the Department on whether we were ever going to see a multi-year funding settlement for local government and if the extra money for adult social care in 2023–24 and 2024–25 would continue into future years. Both the Department and DLUHC acknowledged the benefits of multi-year funding but also …
Read more
We challenged the Department on whether we were ever going to see a multi-year funding settlement for local government and if the extra money for adult social care in 2023–24 and 2024–25 would continue into future years. Both the Department and DLUHC acknowledged the benefits of multi-year funding but also the potential downsides if circumstances are volatile, such as high inflation. The Department told us that this would be a matter for the next spending review, of which the timing was not yet known, and decisions government takes, but that the Department would cope with whether it was a multi-year settlement or a one-year rollover.37 37 Qq 86–91 Reforming adult social care in England 15 2 Delivering adult social care reforms Planning for long-term workforce needs
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government agrees and recognizes the value of multi-year funding, noting the 2021 Spending Review provided three years of funding. However, it defers the decision on future multi-year settlements for adult social care, committing to work with relevant departments to ensure the next spending review …
Read full response →
HM Treasury
25
Recommendation
Twenty-Second Report - Reforming adult …
Deferred
The NAO reported that the 2021 white paper set a 10-year ‘vision’ for transforming adult social care, but that the Department had no long-term funded plan for achieving it and no milestones beyond the end of the current Spending Review period, March
Government response AI summary
The government states the recommendation is implemented, highlighting progress towards the 10-year vision and learning from reforms to inform future plans. They commit to working with HM Treasury and DLUHC to ensure the next spending review delivers a sustainable long-term funding package for Adult Social …
Read full response →
HM Treasury