Local government leaders warn of £1bn raid of revenue budgets hitting transport hard

Bus services and road maintenance face an ever-tighter squeeze if a social services "funding crisis" goes unaddressed, claim councils

Bus services and road maintenance face an ever-tighter squeeze if a social services "funding crisis" goes unaddressed, claim councils

An escalating social services bill will mean £1.1bn diverted from transport and other services from April, a new analysis for the Local Government Association suggests.

Local authority leaders said that the "crisis in elderly care funding" would mean the equivalent of work to fill in 20 million potholes was at risk, given the 8.8% cut in core funding for 2015/16 comes at the same time as councils face a rising cost of caring for the growing numbers of elderly people.

Councils spent £14.6bn on adult social care in 2013/14, 35% of council spending compared to 30% in 2010/11, the LGA says, which meant a £900m squeeze on all other services in the current financial year. Cllr David Sparks, chair of the LGA, said: "The ever-growing cost of care is short-changing not just those who use it, it is taking a toll on everyone who relies on councils to fix the roads and provide buses..."

"Within just a few short years there will be some councils with little money left to do anything but social care, if this continues."