North Yorkshire County Council has welcomed the provisional local government finance settlement, in which previously additional funding for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and social care have been confirmed.
The provisional financial settlement for councils in the UK provides detailed figures for the funding of council services next year.
The announcement on Friday, December 20, by Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick MP, has included a national spending boost for social care and also maintains last year’s Rural Services Delivery Grant of £81m nationally, which recognises the extra cost of providing services in rural communities.
Gary Fielding, director of strategic resources at the county council, said: “The announcement contained little surprise, as much of the content was heralded previously as part of the Chancellor’s autumn statement and in the general election campaign.
“The very welcome additional funding for social care and SEND was included, but the Council – along with all of local government – remains in the dark about any funding announcements beyond March 2021.
“In the meantime, demand for services such as social care, SEND and home-to-school transport remain high and we continue to face financial challenges, so the effects of austerity are still being felt.”
North Yorkshire County Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “We would like to thank the Minister for listening to us and would also thank our MPs who have put North Yorkshire’s case to the Government.
“We are pleased the Government has acknowledged some of the pressures facing the County with this funding. Although we still need an equitable, long-term funding solution for social care, we welcome the extra funding for both social care and SEND.”
North Yorkshire County Council says it will be reviewing the provisional settlement in detail over the next few days and feeding this into the council’s budget, which is due to be considered by the executive on 28 January and full council on 20 February.
The public are encouraged to let the council know their views on the local authority’s finances by visiting; https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/financial-information.
