Responding to the Government’s announcement of a delay to the Spending Review until 2020 and of a one-year Spending Round in September this year instead, Cllr Howard Sykes, Leader of the LGA Liberal Democrat Group, said:
“This is yet more blinkered thinking from the government. Vital local services provided by councils face a funding gap of more than £5 billion next year, rising to £8 billion by 2025.
“Councils urgently need some certainty about how local services will be funded in the coming years as they begin their budget-setting process and long term clarity over financial planning is needed.
“The Spending Round needs to make securing the sustainability of local services the top priority. It needs to confirm the continuation of key funding streams such as the Better Care Fund, and guarantee councils will have enough money to meet the growing demand pressures they face next year.
“Only with the right funding and powers can councils meet their legal duties to provide dignified care for people who are elderly or disabled, protect children, prevent and reduce homelessness and protect the wide-range of other valued local services which also make such a positive difference to communities and people’s lives.”