A new proposal has recently been published that calls on the next government to 'properly fund' local authorities.
The new 'Local Government White Paper' is calling on whichever party wins the General Election to commit to providing 'long-term financial certainty' and to 'empower councils'.
The White Paper, produced by the Local Government Association (LGA) ahead of the General Election, includes new analysis revealing councils in England now face a funding gap of £6.2 billion over the next two years.
This is being driven by rising cost and demand pressures to provide adult social care, children's services, homelessness support and home-to-school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Cllr Kevin Bentley, senior vice chair of the LGA, said: "We all rely on local government to keep our streets clean, collect our bins, fix our potholes, build more homes, create jobs, keep children safe and support people of all ages to live fulfilling lives.
"However, a funding gap facing local services of more than £6 billion over the next two years - fuelled by rising cost and demand pressures - means a chasm will continue to grow between what people and their communities need and want from their councils and what councils can deliver.
"On July 5, the next government will be faced with many challenges, whether it is building more affordable housing, improving care for adults and children, reducing homelessness, boosting inclusive growth or tackling climate change.
"Local government’s offer to the next government is huge. Respect us, trust us and fund us. By working together as equal partners, we can meet the fundamental long-term challenges facing our communities.”
A recent LGA survey found two-thirds of councils have already had to make cutbacks to local neighbourhood services this year (2024/25) including waste collections, road repairs, and library and leisure services.
The LGA is calling on all political parties to commit to a significant and sustained increase in funding for councils in the next Spending Review, alongside multi-year funding settlements for councils and plans to reform the local government finance system.
Without this, the LGA is warning that cost and demand pressures will continue to stretch council budgets to the limit in the coming years, leaving more councils of all political colours and types unable to deliver their legal duties for their residents and putting vital services at further risk of cutbacks.
However, the LGA said it is not just about local government having enough money to provide services for their communities.
The White Paper calls on the next government to urgently commission a major review of public service reform to understand how all public services can work together within their local communities, focusing on a joint approach to investing in more preventative services for people in need and reducing demands on current costly and high need services such as adult and children’s social care.
Blackburn with Darwen Council declined to comment on the proposal.
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