Research
Here you can find all my research and papers published during my time as Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government.
Health Check, Report 1: Children’s Services
Research by myself alongside the Labour Communities Team revealed that the Christmas period saw local authorities facing 7418 new cases where a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.
Councils have suffered a 40 per cent cut in funding since 2010, leaving them unable to meet soaring demand and provide safe, effective children’s services. The Local Government Association has forecast that children’s services face a £2 billion funding gap by 2020, yet no new money was given in the Budget for struggling children’s services.
The details of this crisis were exposed in the first Local Government Health Check report. Every month the Labour Communities Team will report on the neglect facing our public services and our communities.
Date Published: 4th Dec 2017
Health Check, Report 2: Council Finance
Research by myself alongside the Labour Communities Team has shown that Council Tax increases proposed by the Government will do little to address the funding black hole created by local government cuts.
The money local government has to operate services is running out fast and councils face an overall £5.8 billion funding gap in just two years. The Government failed to provide the funding to address this funding gap in the Autumn Budget, and many looked to the Local Government Finance Settlement to set out its plan for how it will fund local services both now and in the future.
Every month the Labour Communities Team will report on the neglect facing our public services and our communities.
Date Published: 26th Jan 2018
Health Check, Report 3: Personal Debt
This report lays bare the human cost of Tory cuts. After almost eight years of cuts, local authorities are struggling to protect front-line services. By 2020, local government will face a £5.8 billion funding gap, placing even more pressure on councils to collect all of the Council Tax they are owed. In turn, this is placing even more pressure on those who fall into debt.
Councils also face pressure from central government to collect their council tax “in-year”. Councils are ‘named and shamed’ by central government on the basis of their in year collection rates. This puts pressure on local authorities to collect council tax arrears by reporting dates rather than at a pace which is sustainable for individual households’ finances
Every month the Labour Communities Team will report on the neglect facing our public services and our communities.
Date Published: 12th March 2018
Health Check, Report 4: Trading Standards
In this report we find the Government undermining their own product safety strategy launched this week (10th August 2018), revealling the unfair and unsafe cuts that have slashed Trading Standards capability across the country.
Research has found that spending on Trading Standards has been slashed in half since the Tories came to power – falling from £213 million in 2009, to £105 million in 2018-1
After Brexit, we need to ensure that our Trading Standards have the resources they need to ensure that unsafe goods are not allowed to flood the market – but yet, the Government continues to cut funding for local authorities, with the funding gap expected to grow to £8 billion by 2025.
Date Published: 21st Aug 2018
Health Check, Report 5: Youth Services
In this report we find that the Government has slashed youth services and left the sector in crisis. Cutting these vital services has led to the loss of thousands of jobs and is storing up problems for the future.
Research has found that funding for youth services has been cut by 70% since the last Labour Government left office in 2010 – a cut of over £880 million.
Our analysis also shows that these cuts have been deepest in the most deprived areas, where they are often of the greatest benefit.
Date Published: 24th July 2019