Massive increase in children's services statutory responsibilities under Conservative government

A list compiled by the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) has calculated that there are now 299 statutory duties compared with about 200 in 2011, shortly after the Conservative Party formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats.

The association said the list of duties - which cover areas such as school meals, school transport, special educational needs, class sizes and school admissions - is not "exhaustive", but provides a useful resource for its members.

It updates a piece of work carried out by the government in 2011 detailing statutory duties as they applied to councils in England, of which about 200 were in respect of children's services.

The ADCS said it was asking members to update the current list as some duties might not still be in statute or others could have been overridden by more recent legislation. Councils may also be undertaking duties that have yet to be identified by ADCS members, it added.

The rise in statutory duties comes despite continuing pressure on local government finances. Analysis carried out by the Labour Party found spending on children's services fell from £7.9bn in 2012 to £7.6bn last year. Labour said the figure represented a real-terms cut of nearly £1bn if inflation is taken into account.

"We hope this list will be a valuable resource to our members as they deal with diminishing budgets and a range of reviews of the wider services they provide," the ADCS said.