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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Local Government Finance Settlement on local communities in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils, including funding for adult social care reform.

For Staffordshire County Council, this represents an increase in cash terms of up to 7.3% compared to last year, worth £40.9 million - making available up to £605.5 million in 2022/23.

For Stoke-on-Trent City Council, this represents an increase in cash terms of up to 8.8% compared to last year, worth £19.3 million - making available up to £237.4 million in 2022/23.

These funding increases will allow Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Councils to deliver the services local communities need.