To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what proportion of the £4.8 billion in new local authority grants, announced at the Spending Review on 27 October 2021, will be used to address the £573 million funding gap in disabled children’s social care identified by the Disabled Children’s Partnership and Scope’s October 2021 report, The Gap Widens.
Answered on
9 November 2021
The Government is providing around £1.6 billion additional grant to local authorities in each year over the Spending Review period. In addition, local authorities can expect rising income from local taxation. This will allow councils to increase their spending on the vital public services they provide, such as children’s social care, and will ensure those services can respond effectively to rising demand and cost pressures.
More detail on how the funding announced at the Spending Review will be distributed will be given as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The department believes it is right for local authorities, who know their areas’ needs best, to make decisions about the allocation of funding within their local areas.