Webinar – “Biting the Bullet” | Funding local government in this Parliament and beyond
Localis policy webinar, Wednesday 11th December 2024 from 11.00 to 12.00
The financial issues facing English councils are well known. The costs of temporary accommodation, social care and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Education have increased rapidly in recent years. Delivery of the promise made by the Government to ‘fix the foundations’ and begin national renewal is urgently needed in local government, yet the challenges of doing so cannot be understated.
There are several proposed ways forward but no quick solutions. An important first step to reform, committed to in the Autumn Budget, is to update the formula for allocating central government grants to local authorities. The current system, with its outdated methodology, is fragmented, uncertain, and misaligned with actual needs.
However much more needs to be done to ensure that councils survive the long term and to ensure that funding gaps are addressed
The webinar discussion will discuss the findings of our research into the future of council funding in England and possible reforms.
Our focus for this webinar will be on moving beyond the short-term sticking plasters that have characterised the government approach to local governance finance in recent history. We want to discuss options for reform and funding and whether it is possible to create reform that does not leave some English councils as ‘winners’ and others as ‘losers’.
The fair funding review has made little progress in eight years and its methodology is now a decade old. There is consensus on a need to reform but will this be acted on as quickly as needed considering the moderate nature of the reforms in the budget?
GUIDING QUESTIONS
In our last policy webinar of 2024, we want to ask
- What local government finance reforms should be prioritised by the government with a view to the spring 2025 Comprehensive Spending Review and promise of long-term settlements?
- Ahead of this year’s local government finance settlement and the prospect of multi-year settlements arising from next spring’s Comprehensive Spending Review, how will the new government’s plans for local government finance impact councils in the short and long term?
- And what more do they have to do over the course of this Parliament to set up a resilient local government system?
Speakers
Sandy Forsyth, Lead Researcher, Localis
Sandy joined Localis while studying for an MSc in Political Theory at the London School of Economics, where her particular concern was in the role of physical space and the public sphere in cultural and political participation.
Now graduated, Sandy continues to work on analysis of the role of policy in sustainable place-shaping and for community engagement in local politics
Joe Fyans, Head of Research, Localis
Joe is interested in creating public policy to promote a globalisation process which is responsible both culturally and ecologically. His work on local labour markets has featured in the Financial Times, the Guardian and on Sky News. He is a graduate of UCL and Goldsmiths, University of London and has previously worked on public consultations.
Mark Sandford, Senior Researcher, House of Commons
Mark was a Research Fellow with the Constitution Unit at UCL for five years, working mainly on regional government in England. He worked as Research and Evaluation Manager for the Electoral Commission before joining the House of Commons Library in 2008, where he is Senior Researcher specialising in local and regional government.
Joanne Pitt, Senior Policy Manager, CIPFA
Joanne is an experienced local government adviser with 25 years of public sector knowledge. She was responsible for the delivery of the CIPFA Financial Management Code along with its supportive guidance and is an advocate of strong financial management and good governance. Her most recent publication covers the governance of council owned Companies. She has written widely on topics such as government funding, housing, and financial sustainability and as a key part of CIPFA’s policy team Joanne has represented the Institute on the BBC, local and national radio and is regularly quoted in the press.
David Simmonds MP, Shadow Local Government Minister
David Simmonds was first elected Conservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner on 13th December 2019. He has been active in local politics in the constituency as Deputy Leader of Hillingdon Council since 2002. His national work has included leading the Conservatives at the Local Government Association, chairing the LGA Children and Young People Board from 2011-15 and the Improvement and Innovation Board 2015-16. David’s professional background is in finance, where he worked for high street banks after qualifying with the Chartered Institute of Insurers in 1997.
See the full “Biting the Bullet: Funding local government in this Parliament and beyond” report
Cllr Ruth Bennett, Deputy Leader, Liverpool City Council
Ruth has been a labour Liverpool City counsellor since 2016. As well as being deputy leader of the council she is the Cabinet member for Finance, Resources and Transformation. Ruth’s role within the council is to ensure the financial sustainability of the council and oversee the modernisation of the organisation. Ruth is a trained solicitor and was formerly Labour group chief whip.
Recording of the event: