Financial crisis leaving vulnerable children at risk

Labour has warned that vulnerable children are facing a dangerous reduction in support as councils cut services in an attempt to fill the financial black hole left by the coronavirus crisis.

Town halls across England have tabled emergency budgets involving cuts to spending on children and young people, prompting warnings that unless the government add to the £3.7 billion in emergency coronavirus funding so far provided to councils, children will suffer.

For example, Luton Council, which is proposing to cut £3.2 million from its children and families budget, said that the coronavirus pandemic has had a ‘catastrophic impact’ on its finances, not least with income from its airport company plummeting. The authority os set to close four ‘Flying Start’ children centres, as well as cease the provision of services helping mothers feed their newborns, cafes for parents of infants, as well as sessions of baby massage, baby talk, stay and play, messy play, and sing and sign from the start of next year.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that soaring costs and slumping income will result in a £2 billion deficit for councils this year.

Oxfordshire County Council is proposing a £3.5 million saving from children’s services, whilst the London Borough of Croydon has put proposed savings in children’s services at £4.1 million with the reduction of 36 full-time equivalent staff positions.

Steve Reed, the Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, said: “This government promised to fund councils to do whatever it takes to get communities through the Covid-19 crisis, but ministers have broken their pledge, putting vulnerable children at risk as councils are already being forced to make emergency cuts. Children should not be punished because the government is forcing cuts on to cash-strapped councils. It’s still not too late for ministers to do another U-turn and stick to their original promises.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that the ‘misleading claims’ ignore the £4.3 billion package provided local councils during the pandemic.