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Councils remain one of the biggest investors in culture, sport and leisure - spending over £2 billion a year - a new report by the Local Government Association sets out today.

The new report, Securing the Future of Public Sport and Leisure Services published in partnership with the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) and Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) evaluates the current state of public sport and leisure services and sets out recommendations to ensure the survival and development of the sector.  Councils are currently the biggest investor in sport, leisure, parks and green spaces, spending £1.1 billion per year in England. They are unique in what they offer for communities, providing lifelong opportunities for all to be

The LGA is calling on the Department for Transport to end emergency measures forcing councils to fund concessionary bus fares at pre-COVID19 travel levels, amid concern about its sustainability and the impact it is having on council budgets being stretched by the pandemic.

“Youth services have a vital role to play in providing young people with safe spaces to go and trusted relationships with adults who can help them make positive life choices and avoid being drawn into negative situations during and after the pandemic."

Over 9.5 million potholes could be repaired or prevented by councils with the funding lost from local road maintenance budgets this year – the equivalent of 64,000 repairs in every local council area.

The report, based on 22 effective HWBs across the country, shows the boards are driving health and social care integration and making sure that prevention is at the heart of this - helping to keep people well in the first place, rather than managing ill health better.

“If we are to come out of this pandemic with a society that is truly levelled up, the vital services that councils provide must be at the heart of it."

School-based counselling needs to be available and fully funded by the Government in all state funded secondary schools and academies to help support rising numbers of children and young people reporting mental health issues during COVID-19, the Local Government Association urges today.

Referrals of potential victims of modern slavery made by councils have soared ninefold in five years, new figures show, highlighting the demands on local authority services already under significant pressure.

More than a million young people in England could be missing formal full-time education, fuelled by significant gaps in education legislation, rising child support needs and a lack of funding.