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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide support to local authorities in financial difficulty.

We monitor the financial health of local authorities closely, including through extensive direct engagement with councils. We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances, or that faces pressures it has not planned for.

The provisional local government finance settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to an additional £3.9 billion to local authorities in England, an increase of 6.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. We have launched a consultation on the provisional settlement, which closes on 15 January 2024.