Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
According to a new report by APSE and the New Policy Institute (NPI), councils could be unable to fund services such as parks, highways and refuse collection by 2020.
The report, entitled 'Sustainable local government finance and liveable local areas: Can we survive to 2020?’ outlined that by 2020, local government spending will be at its lowest level since 1948. It also found that council tax will account for at least half of funds received by councils in England by this time.
In shire counties, this figure is predicted to increase to 75 per cent, and are expected to be almost entirely reliant on council tax and business rates to fund services.
The report cautioned that allowing liveability and public realm stories to decline through a lack of funding could force ancillary care demands at a neighbourhood level. It also warned that new inequalities could become apparent as different authorities grow their business rate income at varying strength.
Paul O’Brien, chief executive of APSE, commented: “With huge funding pressures on local councils this report highlights the hidden costs of decline in council finances. Whilst new funding for social care is of course welcome, the overall picture for local council finances remains grim.
“Without adequate funding we risk abandoning liveability services like parks, refuse and recycling, highways, and street lighting to long term decline.”
Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
BLE Lighting & Power Ltd, a leader in cutting-edge lighting and power solutions, is proud to introduce BLE Connect, a groundbreaking Fully Automated Emergency Lighting System designed to simplify the labour intensive maintenance of emergency lighting across multiple facilities.
UKREiiF has quickly become a must-attend in the industry calendar for Government departments and local authorities.
The multi-award-winning UK Construction Week (UKCW), is the UK’s biggest trade event for the built environment that connects the whole supply chain to be the catalyst for growth and positive change in the industry.
At GeoEnergy Design, we're on a mission to disrupt the traditional way heating and cooling ha
Professor Harith Alani, director of the Knowledge Management Institute at the Open University explains how AI can be used for good and bad.
Alex Lawrence, head of health & social care, techUK sets out techUK’s Five Point Plan for CareTech.