Many of the services that impact young adults are delivered by local government. The challenges facing them span a range of issues. It is vital that the Government uses the Spending Review to deliver truly sustainable funding for local government. Investing in local services is good for the nation’s prosperity and overall wellbeing.
Key messages
- Many of the services that impact young adults are delivered by local government. The challenges facing them span a range of areas, including, poverty, housing, skills and employment, access to training and careers advice, access to mental and physical health and wellbeing services, and exposure to violence, crime and exploitation.
- Across housing, skills and employment the Local Government Association (LGA) has launched several recent calls for greater freedom and flexibility from the Government to deliver increased support to young adults.
- The LGA’s report, ‘Understanding Local Housing Markets’, shows that home ownership remains difficult for most young adults and calls for the Government to use the Spending Review to devolve the Right to Buy scheme.
- Our Work Local campaign outlines the urgent need for a new devolved and integrated approach to careers, training, employment and skills provision. This would allow councils to lead the service and tailor interventions to specific labour and skills gaps.
- Social care is another vital service in its own right which helps people of all ages, including young disabled adults. The sector is at breaking point and our Social Care Green Paper, ‘The lives we want to lead’ sets out key findings, implications and recommendations, including on how to fund social care.
- As local authority budgets have reduced and demand for services has increased, councils have had to make difficult decisions about how to use increasingly limited resources. Local government has lost 60p out of every £1 of funding for services, and councils face an £8 billion funding gap by 2025.
- The Government must use the Queen’s Speech, Spending Review and other opportunities to deliver powers, certainty and sustainable funding for local government. The LGA’s Councils Can campaign sets out our positive agenda for a new localism settlement that will help ensure councils can continue to support young adults.
Download the full briefing
The Impact and response to the funding levels of public services that interact with young adults - House of Lords, 18 July 2019