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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion by the Local Government Association in its report Spending Review 2020: On-the-Day Briefing, published on 25 November, that “no proposals for putting local welfare funding on a more sustainable footing to ensure a consistent approach to locally-led support to address financial hardship and economic vulnerability” are included in their Spending Review; and what plans they have to implement any such proposals after March 2021.

Spending Review 2020 confirmed that local government’s Core Spending Power is forecast to rise by 4.5% in cash terms- a real terms increase. This package means local authorities will be able to access an estimated additional £2.2 billion to support Adult and Children’s Social Care and to maintain universal services.

We have taken unprecedented measures during the pandemic to protect the most vulnerable, and put in place a strong package of financial support to support families and children, including our new £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme for local authorities, which is helping tens of thousands of vulnerable children across the country stay warm and well-fed this winter.

Our long-term ambition is to level up opportunity across the UK by helping people back into work as quickly as possible based on clear and consistent evidence around the important role that work can play in tackling poverty. Our £30 billion plans for jobs is the first step on the ladder to achieving this and will support economic recovery through new schemes including Kickstart and Job Entry Targeted Support.