Government urged to reform local services by expanding Troubled Families scheme

According to the Institute for Public Policy and Research (IPPR), the £4.3 billion that is currently being spent annually to support homelessness and substance misuse was ‘poorly targeted’. The scheme is proposing a £100 million per year budget which will finance the programme intended to aid councils to integrate services for those suffering from multiple issues and provide support.

Furthermore, local authorities will be awarded a third of the funding on a ‘pay-for-performance’ basis and judged by the respective performance of the area.

IPPR associate director, Clare McNeil explained: “Too much spending on individuals experiencing problems such as addiction, homelessness, offending and poor mental health comes too late and doesn’t help people deal with the multiple problems they often face.

“The taxpayer is indeed meeting unnecessary costs as a result of spending that is focussed on expensive crisis care services, rather than coordinated and preventative support.

“At the next spending review, the government must prioritise improving value for money for spending on this group. Our recommendations build on the example of the Troubled Families programme and introduce new long term reforms for local services to help the most excluded”.

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