Issues like population growth and family breakdown mean ways of delivering children’s services are needed, the New Local Government Network think tank has warned.

The report, From Tiny Acorns: Communities shaping the future of children’s services, called for the Treasury to have a more systemic understanding of spending and the outcomes that result to solve issues like child involvement in gangs.

Figures from the New Economics Foundation found non-ringfenced government grants to local authorities have fallen from £32.2bn in 2009/10 to £4.5bn in 2019/20.

It predicted this would be cut further by 2024/25.

The NEF said: “Despite local authorities retaining a proportion of business rates and growth in business rates revenue, local authorities still have significantly less resources available to them in 2019/20 than in 2009/10.

“Over the same time period, demographic and price pressures have driven costs of meeting need up significantly.”

It came after a think tank warned more strategic, long-term funding is needed to make the nation healthier.

A report by the Health Foundation concluded there had been a shift in spending over the last decade towards acute need rather than on the issues that caused them.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said: “Everyone agrees that prevention is better than cure, but as this report highlights, reinvestment in the public health grant is needed to help people live longer, healthier lives and spend less time in hospital.”

Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said approximately 50 staff will vote but stop short of strike action in the hope that the council will rethink the cost-cutting plans.

The Police Foundation will look into the future of crime and policing, in a review led by former adviser to Tony Blair, Michael Barber.

A key issue will be examining funding through the police precepts, top-ups from local authorities through business groups and short-term funding pots.

Barber said: “The current system for funding the police and work to prevent crime is clearly unsatisfactory. If we want certainty and long-term commitment, this has to change.”

Quarterly revenue outturn figures released this week by the Ministry of Communities and Local Government show the highest first quarter spending figure since 2011/12, the earliest figures published by the department.

Net current expenditure, which includes benefits and levy payments, rose from £27.2bn to £27.3bn over the year.

The agency said that weaker growth prospects would carry through to the public finances, “either through the impact of automatic stabilisers or due to looser fiscal policy to address the shock to the economy of a no-deal scenario”.

Fitch said that last week’s spending review, “underscores our view that austerity fatigue and Brexit have increased uncertainty about the outlook for public finances”.

The investment is part of a commercial investment strategy aimed at delivering annual income of £2m for the council.

The council’s portfolio holder for economic development including commercial strategy, John Clark, said: “While it is out of district, this store is one that we know well and one that we consider to be shielded from the general malaise that has hit retail warehousing.”

The equity fund suspended trading in June after Kent Pension Fund decided to withdraw its investment.

Figures released by the council’s superannuation fund committee show that the value of Kent’s investment fell from £260m to £224m between 31 March and 30 June.

A statement in superannuation fund’s annual report said: “When the suspension is lifted it is the intention of the committee to redeem the investment in the Woodford fund.

“The final valuation achieved from the redemption will be dependent on the valuation of the underlying holdings of the Woodford Fund on the final date of dealing.”