Title

ADULT SOCIAL CARE

Neighbourhood services a 'serious concern'

A new report has highlighted 'serious concerns' over the future quality of neighbourhood services unless councils receive adequate funding in next spring's Spending Review.

A new report has highlighted 'serious concerns' over the future quality of neighbourhood services unless councils receive adequate funding in next spring's Spending Review.

The report by the Institute for Government and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy found neighbourhood services such as road maintenance and waste management have sustained the deepest cuts to spending.

It read: 'Social care – for both children and adults – is the most costly element of local government activity.

'As demand for both has risen, spending on other services that local government runs – such as libraries, waste collection and trading standards – has been consistently squeezed.

'Non-social care spending now makes up only 46% of all local government spending - down from 55% in 2010/11.

'This creates obvious potential for public resentment.

'People paying local taxes think that they are paying for services available to everyone in the area, such as waste collection and libraries, but those universal services are being squeezed by social care - used only by a minority.'

ADULT SOCIAL CARE

Labour conference: Reed reveals 12 new town sites

By Heather Jameson | 28 September 2025

Housing secretary Steve Reed has revealed the location of 12 new towns as part of his pledge to ‘build, baby, build’.

ADULT SOCIAL CARE

Labour looks local

By Cllr Bev Craig | 26 September 2025

As Labour delegates prepare to head to the party conference in Liverpool, Cllr Bev Craig outlines the key reforms impacting local government and signals a re...

ADULT SOCIAL CARE

Whatever the structure, residents remain the same

By Heather Jameson | 25 September 2025

Heather Jameson says: 'Councils are scrambling to act before Government imposes financial restrictions ahead of reorganisation. Is this central diktat once a...

ADULT SOCIAL CARE

Councils to be empowered to drive high street regeneration

By William Eichler | 25 September 2025

The Government has unveiled an initiative aimed at giving communities more control over the regeneration of their struggling high streets and neighbourhoods.

Popular articles by Laura Sharman