Social Services: County Durham

(asked on 19th December 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of the Children’s Society in its report entitled Children and young people’s services: Funding and spending 2010-11 to 2017-18, that funding per child and young person has fallen by 32 per cent, if he will provide additional funding for local children’s services in County Durham.


Answered by
Michelle Donelan Portrait
Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
This question was answered on 7th January 2020

For 2020-21, the government has focused on providing early certainty and stability though a fast-tracked Spending Round, ahead of a full spending review next year.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that for 2020-21 local authorities will have access to £1 billion additional funding for social care, including children’s social care. This is in addition to the continuation of the existing £410 million adult and children’s social care grant. The settlement is the largest increase in core spending power since 2015 and is an estimated increase of 4.4% in real terms.

We are also investing £84 million in targeted, evidence-based interventions to improve the support provided to vulnerable children and their families.

Beyond 2020-21, longer term funding decisions will be taken at the spending review. The government will continue work to make the funding formula fairer and increase the amount of business rates growth which local authorities retain, aiming to implement major reforms in 2021-22.

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