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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the overspend by local authorities on children’s services spending in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18; and how much additional funding was allocated to children’s services in (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17 and (iii) 2017-18.

Government has made available over £200 billion to local authorities across this five-year spending period. Local authorities spent approximately £604 million in 2015-16, £641 million in 2016-17 and £806 million in 2017-18 more on children’s services than they had budgeted for in each of those years. Local government core funding is unringfenced, and councils are responsible for setting their own service budgets according to local priorities. The sector has welcomed this flexibility.