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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of setting a percentage target spend to be allocated to the VCSE sector in future guidance to (a) mayors and (b) unitary authorities.

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The majority of funding within scope of the Local Government Finance Settlement is un-ringfenced in recognition that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities, for example investing in their Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sectors.

Similarly, the funding for Mayoral Strategic Authorities does not include a target spend for the VCSE sector. Mayors are best placed to decide how to use their resources to deliver outcomes and best serve their communities.