Local authorities are now turning their attention towards the funding reforms that are expected in 2022-23. If the Government is going to meet this target, then we will see consultation papers on business rates and Fair Funding in the coming months.

The first consultation out of the blocks, however, is on the replacement to the New Homes Bonus (NHB), which was published last week. Avid followers of local government funding will have read this new consultation in anticipation of what it will reveal about the future direction of funding reform. If that was the case, then this long-awaited consultation will be a disappointment because it reveals very little about the Government’s intentions. The consultation paper proposes a whole range of options, which could result in any outcome ranging from almost no change to the current scheme to its complete replacement. There are many options proposed in the consultation but no clarity about how any incentives will be earned or even the total amount of funding that will be available.