Lords debates local government finance settlement
23 January 2015
Members of the Lords, including a number of current and former local councillors, debated the implications of the local government finance settlement, on Thursday 22 January.
Members discussed the challenges faced by local authorities and said these are now heightened since already significant efficiency savings have been made.
Some members raised concern about a lack of understanding in central government of the importance of the role local government plays, and challenged the presentation of some of the figures relating to the settlement and local government spending power.
The impact of reduced local government spending on some services, the elderly and early years provision was highlighted.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative), parliamentary under-secretary for the Department for Communities and Local Government, responded on behalf of the government saying that because of the large deficit it inherited it needed to take action to put public finances back on track. He acknowledged the role of local government in delivering public services in this new context.
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