Early intervention grant could be raided for politically sensitive services

Councils are being warned against ditching vital children's services in order to prop up other areas of their work in the wake of the local government finance settlement.

Announced as part of the funding settlement for councils, the early intervention grant is replacing 22 grants, which after in-year cuts total £2,483m for 2010/11. There will be a reduction of 10.9 per cent with the new grant worth £2,212m for 2011/12, which will not be ringfenced.

Concerns have been raised that local political parties, especially in those authorities with local elections in May, could use the grant to prop up services that are politically sensitive in their area, ranging from potholes to bin collections.

Two forms of authorities, single tier (unitary) district councils (of which there are 49) and metropolitan districts (of which there are 36), are set to have elections this year.

Vital services

Nicola Steuer, programme director at the New Economics Foundation, said: "There is further work that needs to take place in terms of the importance of early intervention as a preventative measure both in a targeted sense where you provide a continuum of support for families early and quickly; but also in terms of universal services across the board for things like childcare provision, and paid parental leave.

"These are the things that with the reduction in grant are at risk of being cut. We believe they are vital, not only for supporting families right now but for underpinning what happens in the next 10, 20, or 30 years."

National Children's Bureau's chief executive Sir Paul Ennals stressed the importance of investing in early intervention to make savings in the long-term.

"I hope local authorities will be following the evidence of what works when they make the difficult decisions they are facing," he said. "If they don't they will not easily be forgotten by the children's sector. Early intervention services may well be particularly vulnerable."

EARLY INTERVENTION GRANT FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Total for 2010/11 £2,483m
Early intervention grant for 2011/12 £2,212m

Grants, 2010/11 allocation (£m)
Sure Start 1,135
Connexions 467
Early Years Sustainability 238
Early Years Workforce 196
Disabled Children Short Breaks 185
Children's Fund 132
Positive Activities for Young People 94
Think Family 94
Two-Year-Old Offer 67
Youth Opportunity Fund 41
Targeted Mental Health in Schools 28
Teenage Pregnancy 27
Key Stage 4 Foundation Learning 20
Children's Social Care Workforce 18
ContactPoint 15
Youth Crime Action Plan 12
Young People's Substance Misuse 7
January Guarantee 6
Youth Taskforce 4
Challenge and Support 4
Intensive Intervention 3
Child Trust Fund 1
In-year cuts 311

Total 2,483

Source: Department for Communities and Local Government