We received written evidence from SOLACE, which told us that “one-year financial settlements, which are delivered late in the budget planning cycle, presents risks and can result in very damaging cuts to services residents and businesses rely on.” Similarly, CIPFA argued that delayed or incomplete information from government adds to the complexity of financial planning and leads to increased financial instability and may result in service reduction. SIGOMA similarly emphasised that without ce...

We received written evidence from SOLACE, which told us that “one-year financial settlements, which are delivered late in the budget planning cycle, presents risks and can result in very damaging cuts to services residents and businesses rely on.” Similarly, CIPFA argued that delayed or incomplete information from government adds to the complexity of financial planning and leads to increased financial instability and may result in service reduction. SIGOMA similarly emphasised that without certainty, councils “cannot plan a future service structure that fits within a known, sustainable funding envelope”.75 The provisional local government fin Type: conclusion | Number: 25 | Response status: under_consideration Government response: 7.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: End 2021 7.2 HM Treasury, MHCLG and other departments will continue to monitor the pressures that local authorities are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic an