Local government funding

That this House acknowledges that local government fulfils a vital role and should be funded in such a manner as to enable it to continue to do so; notes with regret that councils face a funding gap of £3.19 billion for 2023-24; further notes that councils will be confronted with the unacceptable choice of cutting services or using already worryingly declining reserves to balance their budgets; expresses alarm that the gap is likely to increase to £5 billion in 2024-25 without taking into account increased energy costs and inflationary pressures; and calls on the Government to ensure that adequate funding is provided to local authorities in order to ensure that their budgets are future-proofed against the need to cut jobs and services in the short, medium and long term.