Autumn Budget 2025
The Chancellor delivered the Budget in late November, with several proposals impacting on councils and their communities.
In the latest issue:
Budget ‘doesn’t address pressures on council finances’
Local government finances remain “under severe pressure”, the LGA has warned, after last week’s Budget failed to provide significant increased funding.
Government ‘to fund SEND’
The Government has pledged to fund the full cost of provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from 2028/29.
Children in care ‘up 18 per cent’
The number of looked-after children in England is almost 18 per cent higher than 10 years ago, with 81,770 in the care of councils as of 31 March 2025. In 2015, the figure was 69,460, according to the most recent Department for Education figures.
Beyond stability: the future of local government
With the draft Welsh budget and provisional local government settlement now published, we have a clearer picture of the landscape in which councils will be operating over the next year.
Putting buses back in local hands
For decades, bus services have not been up to scratch, with services falling, routes slashed and fares rising.
Multi-party politics
The new multi-party politics is having a noticeable impact on the proportion of seats changing hands and the low share of the vote often needed for victory.
Temporary accommodation funding gap ‘to hit £3bn’
The cumulative cost to councils in England of the temporary accommodation subsidy gap could reach £3 billion by the end of the decade, according to new LGA analysis.