Financial distress in local authorities – Levelling Up Committee Chair encourages organisations to respond to Government funding consultation

• Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee

Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee has encouraged local government organisations to respond the Government’s consultation on the local government financial settlement for 2024 to 2025.

Clive Betts, LUHC Committee Chair, has written to local government organisations who gave evidence to the Committee’s financial distress inquiry, including the Local Government Association, to highlight the consultation and to stress the importance of local government’s evidence being considered.

Chair's comment

Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee, said:

“There are concerns that the financial settlement announced by the Government this week will not keep pace with council budget and service pressures.

From the evidence to our inquiry, we have seen a picture of the severe demand and cost pressures impacting on local authorities’ ability to deliver key services to their residents and of system-wide issues causing financial distress across the sector. Given the gravity and urgency of the situation, I urge councils and organisations to respond directly to the Government’s consultation and to make their voice heard.”

Last week, Clive Betts, LUHC Committee Chair, wrote to Secretary of State Michael Gove to press the Government for further detail on its approach to the financial challenges facing councils in England.

Further information

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