Local Government Finance
(asked on 6th February 2024) - View Source
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of determining the local government funding (a) formula and (b) settlements by an independent body.
Answered by
Simon Hoare
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Local Government Finance Settlement 2024-25 was published on 5 February and confirmed that the Services Grant will continue in 2024-25 and will be worth £87 million. The Services Grant has increased by £10 million from the amount consulted on in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2024-25.
We know that local authorities value multi-year certainty, as this allows them to plan spending over the longer term. It is the Government’s intention to return to multi-year settlements in the next Parliament, when circumstances allow.
In 2022, the Government confirmed reforms to the funding formula would not be implemented in this spending review after hearing calls from councils for stability. The Government remains committed to improving the local government finance landscape.