We have already seen real progress since the Labour government came to power. The steps taken to reinstate the national housebuilding target and commitment to planning reform are crucial for delivering much-needed housing and infrastructure ,and align closely with the call to address housing and homelessness in our Key Cities’ manifesto.
As a cross-party network representing 10% of the UK’s population, Key Cities welcomes the rise in the National Minimum Wage which will incentivise more young population to get into work. Moreover, we welcome the £500m support for the Affordable Homes Programme, the reform of Right to Buy including 100% retention of Right to Buy receipts by councils, and a 5-year social housing rent settlement. These will help increase the social housing stock while addressing the issue of homelessness.
The protection of early years and kinship care funding, as well as a £1bn uplift in funding for SEND and additional funding for local authorities to address social care and homelessness, is a vital move for addressing the current state of social care. However, local authorities across the country require a more dedicated, sustainable funding stream to address soaring costs and demand for adult and children’s social care, which will hopefully be addressed in the second phase of the Spending Review. As per the Office for Budget Responsibility’s projection, the UK-wide public spending on adult social care should be increased by 3.1% per annum in the next decade to meet demand.
We also welcome the extension of UK Shared Prosperity Fund and devolved funding streams to provide additional stability to local growth. However, we need further recognition that the Mayoral Combined Authority model may not be suitable for all councils; a recent Leaders’ Survey by Key Cities shows that a third of our leaders do not wish to be part of a combined authority. As part of the Leaders Council launched by the Deputy Prime Minister, Key Cities is looking forward to continuing our conversation with the central government in coming up with flexible approaches that suit each and every council’s needs and priorities.
The Autumn budget serves as a crucial demonstration of a positive relationship reset between the local and central government. And, while there is still progress needed to address the growing local government funding gap, Key Cities looks forward to further collaborating with the central government to better empower cities and towns across the UK to serve as the engine for growth this country needs.
