Downgrades by Treasury watchdog could force chancellor to raise taxes or cut spending at budget to meet fiscal rules Rachel Reeves is braced for revised forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to blow a £20bn hole in her tax and spending plans before the autumn budget. Even without changing the totals the chancellor set out in her spending review on Wednesday, a weaker forecast from the the Treasury’s independent watchdog could force her to find significantly more money at the budget to meet her “non-negotiable” fiscal rules. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Barnardo’s says number of family hubs and children’s centres has plummeted – with ‘postcode lottery of support’ Community support for struggling families in England has declined significantly over the past 15 years, with data revealing that the availability of specialist children’s services has plummeted by over a third. The number of family hubs and children’s centres in England has reduced by more than a third since 2009, while spending on centres was cut by almost £1.4bn between 2010/11 and 2023/24, according to freedom of information data compiled from 108 local authorities by the charity Barnardo’s. Access varies according to region in a “postcode lottery of support”, the charity said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Barnardo’s says number of family hubs and children’s centres has plummeted – with ‘postcode lottery of support’ Community support for struggling families in England has declined significantly over the past 15 years, with data revealing that the availability of specialist children’s services has plummeted by over a third. The number of family hubs and children’s centres in England has reduced by more than a third since 2009, while spending on centres was cut by almost £1.4bn between 2010/11 and 2023/24, according to freedom of information data compiled from 108 local authorities by the charity Barnardo’s. Access varies according to region in a “postcode lottery of support”, the charity said. Continue reading...