Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that local government has the resources it needs to deliver services to children and families.

Local authorities are required under section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to submit education and children’s social care budget and expenditure statements. This data is published in statistical releases annually. The most recent release shows 135 local authorities had a difference in 2017-18 when their planned spend is compared to their actual spend.

Funding for children’s services is made available through the Local Government Finance Settlement which gives local authorities flexibility to target spending according to local needs and to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, including services for children and families. Through the settlement, the government has made available over £200 billion across the five-year spending period. For 2019-20 this means an increase in core spending power from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion.

At Autumn Budget my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on adult and children social care services, along with £84 million over 5 years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families.