A Quiet Crisis: Local Government Spending on Disadvantage

Research conducted by New Policy Institute (NPI) reveals that councils in the fifth most deprived areas of England and Wales have been hardest hit with cuts for services addressing disadvantage. Despite having higher numbers of people in need, these councils have been forced to make difficult spending decisions.

The research highlights that to meet immediate crisis costs local authorities are having to shift spending away from preventative services, thus generating future higher costs down the line. NPI found that in housing, preventive funding to help people stay in their homes has fallen 46% since 2011/12, while crisis spending, primarily on the costs of temporary accommodation for those who have become homeless, has risen 58%.

The report reflects the need for there to be a broader debate on the number of services local authorities are expected to deliver, whether statutory or preventive.