Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to local authorities for the provision of children’s services.

Funding for local government services, including children’s services, is set at Spending Review. The Chancellor has announced that the next Spending Review will be in 2019 and decisions about the future funding of local government will be taken in the round.

We are working with the Department for Education (DfE) and the sector to develop an understanding of children’s services costs and pressures, and to help local authorities innovate and reform services to achieve better quality and efficiency.

In preparation for the Spending Review, and as part of the Government’s review of relative needs and resources, new, up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence. DfE and MHCLG have commissioned an ambitious data research project from independent contractors to inform this work.