Chamber and committees

That is great—thank you.

Does work still need to be done on co-ordination with other departments in order to meet the objectives?

That is great. Thanks.

It feels as though we are taking a lot on faith if we agree right now to freeze things up until 2030, when LFASS is already based on historical data. We have all been contacted by people who are concerned about that. Although I appreciate the need to avoid a cliff edge, we need a bit more clarity about what the options on the table are and how we can influence and scrutinise things.

Okay. I can probably say no more than I did in my previous question with regard to our needing to be able to scrutinise what is going on and what the options are. From the Government’s point of view, does a decision on the SSI require to be made today?

Are lessons being learned or looked at here, in response?

Yes.

You have spoken about warning signs being evident years in advance. Rumours and low-level concerns about financial decisions must exist pretty much all the time. When should councils begin to worry and take action? Does the response need to be more specific and geared towards the current example, rather than just having generalised worry about specific practices?

On notices and the lead-up to them being issued, is that likely to lead to change to accounting guidance practices or legislation?

Tough decisions are having to be made across the public sector, and that undoubtedly means that some very worthy causes are not getting as much money as we would like them to get, or that money is having to be moved from something that requires investment if it is going to cause change. When councils are having to make those tough decisions, is there enough communication from them on why decisions are being made and how long the situation is expected to be that way for the group or the issue in question?

How far in advance of the issuing of section 114 notices down south was there concern that that point might be reached? What were the warning signs that could have been spotted?