"Councils look forward to working with the new Chancellor, particularly as he holds such a strong record of advocating for local services."
Following the announcement that The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP has been appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer, LGA Chairman, Cllr James Jamieson, said:
“Councils look forward to working with the new Chancellor, particularly as he holds such a strong record of advocating for local services.
“As Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, the Chancellor recognised the pressures that adult social care is facing and rightly championed a significant injection of funding ahead of winter, the crucial importance of the social care workforce and the need for a long-term plan to sustain services.
“Today, we have also outlined many of the wider issues facing local government to him, including the impact of the dramatic increase in inflation, the National Living Wage and higher energy costs, that are all undermining councils’ budgets.
“The Prime Minister and her new Chancellor need to ensure councils have the funding to meet ongoing pressures and protect the services that will be vital to achieving the Government’s ambitions for growth and to level up communities and help residents through these difficult times.
“Without certainty of adequate funding for next year, and given the funding gaps councils currently face, many will have no choice but to implement significant reductions to services including to those for the most vulnerable in our societies.”