Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her speech at the Local Government Association Conference of 24 October 2024, whether she plans to end the allocation of funding to local government by bidding.

The government is committed to pursuing a comprehensive set of reforms for public services to return the local government sector to a sustainable position. This will be done in partnership with local government and on the principle of giving forward notice and certainty to allow time for councils to plan.

To further support the sector, we will end time-consuming competitive bidding processes and cut burdensome reporting requirements around government grants - allowing local authorities to focus on delivering services for their residents. We will also reduce the number of restrictive grants, and consolidate them into the Local Government Finance Settlement wherever possible.