Councils in South given £11m to modernise services

Two councils in the south of England have been given multi-million pound grants to transform services that are expensive to provide.

West Berkshire and Isle of Wight councils were able to apply for the grant from the government because both have been in financial straits and needed exceptional financial support.

The Isle of Wight is receiving £6m and West Berkshire £5m over two years.

Jonathan Bacon, leader of Isle of Wight Council, said the money would enable the authority to "invest in services aimed at prevention rather than more costly late intervention".

The money for island will be spent on adult social care, including reablement, when people have been in hospital.

Other projects involve family safeguarding and early help for families in need.

Bacon added that the money showed "the government was finally recognising the particular demands the island faces because of its demographic and geographical pressures".

West Berkshire's funding will be used to create a single access point for children's services, enabling families to access support for special educational needs, early years provision and social care without having to navigate multiple systems.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHLCG) said it would enable "different teams to work together to sort out the right support faster".

The council is currently forecasting an overspend of £9.3m, with almost 90% of that pressure arising from children's social care.

Jeff Brooks, leader of West Berkshire Council, said: "This will help parents navigate a really complex system and stop people having to fill in lots of confusing forms.

"That should help officer productivity chasing information, save money and make it better for the resident because it speeds everything up".

The two councils in the south of England were among 14 given a share of £91m.

Jim McMahon, minister for local government, devolution and regional growth, said the government was taking action to help councils under "enormous strain from a broken funding system and spiralling demand for services like care and temporary accommodation".

But not all councils that needed financial support from the government were eligible to apply.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council was not included and said earlier this week it might have to increase council tax above 5% for a second year, due to budget pressures.

Slough and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead councils were also not asked to apply.