Children’s Services: Funding

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 10th May 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord Young of Cookham]

To some extent, children’s services are better placed within the local authority framework than other services because there are statutory protections for children that are not available for other services provided by local government. Spending on the most vulnerable children has increased by around £1 billion since 2010, and that includes safeguarding looked-after children and other children at risk. Since 2013, over 500,000 two year-olds have benefited from 15 hours of free early education a week. However, I am interested in the report that the noble Baroness has referred to, and I would like to write her with some more responses.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, did I hear the Minister correctly when he seemed to indicate that he wants to keep income tax down by pushing up council tax, pushing the problems that we are talking about away from the Government and on to local government?

[Lord Young of Cookham]

I was not aware that I had made any such commitment at all. The question was about resources for local government; the words “income tax” never passed my lips.