Council chiefs have voiced concerns that the Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) troubled families unit will be pouring 'money down black holes in sink estates' unless it analyses the outcomes of previous spending.

Commenting yesterday at a meeting of the Local Government Association's Executive, during which the early progress of the unit was discussed, Cllr Jill Shortland said officials must understand what hadn't worked before forging ahead with the £448m three-year scheme to assist 120,000 families.