South Shropshire MP, Philip Dunne, has welcomed a package of measures to deliver more funding for local Councils.

The government today (24th January) confirmed a £500m increase in funding towards social care, distributed through the Social Care Grant. Mr Dunne and fellow Shropshire MPs, Daniel Kawczynski and Mark Pritchard, had met the Local Government Minister last week to push hard for an increase to social care funding for Shropshire Council.

Further funding support comes through an increase of £15m to the Rural Services Delivery Grant for 2024/25, which provides additional funding to local councils in recognition of the additional costs of delivering services in sparsely populated areas. This is the largest cash increase in the Rural Services Delivery Grant since 2018-19 and the second successive year of above-inflation increases.

The government has also given Local Authorities the freedom to increase Council Tax by a further 1% to 4% should they wish to do so, without the need for a referendum of local voters.

These measures mean the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 will make available over £64.7 billion, an increase of 7.5% in cash terms on 2023-24

Mr Dunne said:

“Daniel Kawczynski MP, Mark Pritchard MP and I met the Local Government Minister last week and with my successor as candidate for South Shropshire Stuart Anderson MP, made clear our real concerns about the growing impact of social care on Council finances. So I am pleased the government has responded, through a £500m increase in funding for social care, as well as a £15m increase in the Rural Services Delivery Grant, which will both see additional funding to Shropshire.

“Councils have also been given the power to raise an additional 1% through Council Tax without the need for a referendum, which provides more freedom to raise revenue to meet growing costs, particularly through adult social care.

“I am pleased Government Ministers, including the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt MP, have listened to Shropshire MPs and confirmed that details of the additional funding allocation will be available ahead of Shropshire Council's meeting to set its budget for next year."

Photo: Philip Dunne MP and Daniel Kawczynski MP with Local Government Minister, Simon Hoare MP