Council budgets and audits

That this House notes with concern the increase in the number of councils struggling to meet the costs of temporary accommodation, Special Educational Needs and Disability services and social care; recognises the importance of local councils’ services in providing essential support for vulnerable individuals and their families; notes with concern the backlog in the number of unaudited accounts for councils and other public bodies; understands that 99% of English councils did not have their 2022-23 financial accounts signed off by the legal audit deadline; further notes the increasing pressure on local councils to make precarious investments to protect essential services; regrets government cuts to local council budgets since 2015; and calls on the Government to ensure local councils are adequately funded and resourced to clear the audit backlog and provide essential services for the long term.