At LGiU we have been making the argument for a more joined up and integrated approach to local services and service budgets for many years.

Indeed, earlier this year we gave evidence to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, highlighting the many successes of the Community Budgets programme in promoting integrated approaches, but also warned that a key barrier to progress is the Whitehall silo culture, and the real lack of freedoms and flexibilities centrally to enable local authorities and their partners to pool and align investments.