LGA calls for greater devolution to councils
0Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the Local Government Association has called on the government to spend money more smartly to help maintain public services.
Responding to the coalition’s mid-term review Cockell welcomed the potential cap on payment for residential care, but urged the government to use budget to fund measures aimed at preventing entry into care.
“The NHS last year made a surplus £1.6 billion on its budget,” he said, “money that could be better spent now on providing preventative services to help elderly and disabled people live independently at home for longer.”
The concept of Community Budgets, coordinating help for troubled families across sectors has been shown to reduce costs and tackle problems, Cockell continued, adding: “It’s now time for government to get on with the job of devolving greater responsibility to councils so we can look to replicate that approach elsewhere.”
