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7 Jan, 2016

Council services will never be the same again

The Guardian | Simon Parker | 5 January 2016

Abstract | Is the success of the government’s troubled families scheme too good to be true?

The prime minister claims to have turned around the lives of 99% of the families targeted by a flagship programme of intensive support, but figures from councils tell a different story as critics query the scheme’s expansion.

Despite pressure on preventive spending, councils are continuing to invest huge amounts of energy in their relationship with the NHS. This will be the year when Greater Manchester and London implement forms of healthcare devolution, moving money from acute hospitals into local schemes that keep people fit and healthy. Some councils are taking inspiration from the government’s troubled families programme, despite big concerns about claims of its success, and combining all of their social care, housing and community services into a single “department for deprivation”, focusing scarce resources on solving the problems of the poorest.

Finally, councils will simply stop doing things. Parks, green spaces and street lighting are high up the list of services that are at risk, closely followed by the remaining smaller libraries. So communities will need to take on more responsibility before services are lost forever. Many local authorities need to invest more effort in their relationships with the community sector if this is to happen.

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