Ministers have warned councils not to rely on more funding on top of the announcements made so far.

Although local government minister Simon Clarke has admitted there are ‘serious concerns’ about a ‘handful’ of councils issuing Section 114 notices, a policy briefing from chief executives’ organisation Solace read: ‘While ministers have indicated there is a determination in the department to secure a comprehensive funding settlement for the sector in the Spending Review this is not their decision alone and the chancellor has said there will be difficult choices ahead.