As the former leader of Oldham council, I know all too well that local authorities have been struggling and that the whole system needs reform. After a decade of fighting alone they know have a government on their side.
That’s why this long overdue overhaul to council funding is vital in allowing all of us to fix the foundations and plan for the long term.
We are committed to move to a fairer funding system and intend to start that immediately, moving away from an outdated approach which has seen some councils doing all that is asked and more, yet still find themselves struggling to deliver services and balance budgets.
So this statement sets out our plans to start the process of ending wildly inefficient grants and directing valuable taxpayers’ funding where need is the most.
Ultimately we need to place prevention and reform across public services at the heart of the rebuilding of local government and delivering better outcomes. We know what is needed, because councils have been telling central government for over a decade. Now they have a partner to work with them to realise it.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 