Over £82 million to boost drug and alcohol treatment and recovery in the North West

LOCAL Authorities across the North West will benefit from over £82m Government funding through to 2025 to improve drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery, the Government announced today (16 February 2023). The funding will enable Local Authorities to recruit more staff to work with people with drug and alcohol problems, support more prison leavers into treatment and recovery services, and invest in enhancing the quality of treatment they provide - in turn helping make streets safer by getting people out of the addictions which are known to drive offending. More people will benefit from residential rehabilitation or inpatient detoxification, while improvements to the recovery services will sustain them outside of treatment; helping to reduce relapse rates.

24 Local Authorities in the North West are being allocated funding to increase the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. The funding includes:- £154.3 million for:- 2023 to 2024, and indicative funding of £266.7 million for 2024 to 2025.  For example, Lancashire have used the grant to employ a programme manager to cover their 12 districts who will work with courts to support to increase community orders through community order assessment, provide training for Magistrates and Probation teams, and link with family court. They are also expected to undertake prison in reach; assessment and release planning (through legal visits and liaison with healthcare teams) and to undertake assessments for suitability for the piloting of a long acting medicine used to treat opiate addiction (Buvidal).

The Government's drug strategy, published in December 2021, set out our ambition to significantly increase the capacity of treatment and recovery services as part of the whole system approach to tackling supply and demand. It is estimated that over the 1st 3 years of the strategy, the additional investment in treatment and recovery will prevent nearly 1,000 drug related deaths; reversing the upward trend in drug deaths for the 1st time in a decade. The strategy also set out that illegal drugs drive half of all homicides, and nearly half of all burglaries, robberies and other acquisitive crimes are linked to heroin and crack addiction. Dame Carol Black's independent review of drugs found the best way to tackle this issue is by boosting the capacity of the treatment and recovery system. This comes alongside the Government's work to clamp down on the criminal gangs profiting from the trade in illegal drugs, backed by £300 million investment to dismantle over 2,000 county lines, make thousands more arrests and protect those being exploited.

Health Minister Neil O'Brien said:- "Addictions drive about half of all theft, burglary and robbery, so boosting treatment for addicts will help cut crime. This funding will help improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol recovery services right across the country, helping more people access the support they need, saving lives and benefitting communities."

This funding is prioritised for areas with the highest need, based on the rate of drug deaths, deprivation, opiate and crack cocaine prevalence and crime, taking into account of the size of the treatment population.  Treatment will be available for a wide range of substances, including:- powder cocaine, ecstasy, prescription drugs and cannabis; the latter remaining the most common substance (87%) that young people receive treatment for.   

This funding announcement builds on the additional £95.4 million made available from:- 2022 to 2023, and a recent announcement of £53 million to improve housing support for drug and alcohol recovery. Through this investment, the Government is delivering on its commitments in the 10 year drug strategy, to break the cycle of addiction and reduce overall drug use to a historic 30 year low. 

The allocations will support the work of Local Authorities and their partners to improve their services in line with the ambitions set out in the strategy. Local authorities can invest the funding in activity that will increase the capacity and quality of their treatment and recovery system, based on the recommendations made by Dame Carol Black's Independent Review of Drugs.  

Stakeholder Reaction...

Professor Dame Carol Black, independent advisor to the Government on combatting drug misuse, said:- "This continued investment is very welcome and will be crucial in supporting local authorities and their partners to increase the capacity and quality of their services for people with drug and alcohol dependence, in line with the key recommendations of my independent review of drugs. This will help realise the ambitions of the Government's 10-year drug strategy, to deliver a world-class treatment and recovery system, reduce drug use and drug related crime, and save lives."

Danny Hames and Kate Hall, chair and vice-chair of the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance, said:- "The NHS APA welcomes this further commitment to investment in England's drug treatment system as part of the 10-year drug strategy. We hope that the additional £421 million funding allocated to local authorities across England will be utilised to shape a joined-up system that ensures everyone in need has equal access to high-quality care. This cannot be achieved without partnership work across the sector, something that we are committed to doing as an alliance of NHS Trusts, in a continued effort to reduce the rising number of drug-related deaths seen annually and positively change the lives of thousands of people."

Clare Taylor, chief operating Officer at Turning Point, a social enterprise said:- "We welcome the funding announced today. The investment into drug and alcohol treatment services on the back of the Government's 10 year drug strategy will enable local services to reach more people, improve outcomes for individuals and reduce the harm caused by drugs. Today we have certainty over the funding situation for the next 2 years which means that, as a sector, we can plan for the future and focus on ensuring that services are accessible to anyone who needs support, building on the progress already made in joint working across mental health, criminal justice and treatment agencies and creating safer communities for us all."

Tim Young, Chief Executive of The Alcohol & Drug Service (ADS), said:- "We welcome today's announcement as, without funding the ambitions set out in the National Drug Strategy would remain just words on a page. So, whilst there are no quick or easy fixes for systemic problems such as substance misuse, this presents an opportunity to turn those ambitions into reality and, provide hope for individuals, families and communities."

Lea Milligan, Chair of Collective Voice said:- "In 2021 the 10 year drug strategy:- 'From Harm to Hope' heralded a significant step change for the treatment and recovery system. We are now over a year on and, despite the challenges of the last 12 months, the strategy is beginning to make a difference. We welcome the Government today continuing to unlock new investment to support people facing substance misuse, who are amongst our communities' most vulnerable and stigmatised members. Now is the time to press on with the transformational, whole system approach advocated by Dame Carol Black and set in motion by the drug strategy."

Paul Townsley Chief Executive Officer of Human Kind Charity said:- "We welcome the confirmation of local authority funding for vital, evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. Dame Carol Black laid out an ambitious vision of how, as a society, we can rebuild our treatment and recovery services to help those most in need. Funding from the 10-year drug strategy, that brought Dame Carol Black's vision to life, has already supported us to develop our services in areas with the greatest need. It has also aided the development of our multi-faceted approach to supporting people with multiple disadvantage. This is evidenced by the expansion of our Individual Placement and Support offer, an employment support scheme that is integrated into treatment and recovery services. We look forward to working in partnership with the Government, local authorities, and in Combating Drugs Partnerships to progress Dame Carol Black's vision through the 10-year drug strategy."

Expand free School meals to save nearly £500 per pupil for under pressure families

ALMOST a quarter of a million children are missing out on free School meals worth nearly £500 per child due to the lack of an automated sign-up system, Councils warn recently. This is money which under pressure families could otherwise be spending on other essentials, amidst record food prices and spiralling inflation. A further estimated 800,000 children living in poverty are not entitled to free School meals (FSMs) because their household's income is just above the eligible £7,400 annual income threshold, which has remained unchanged since its introduction in 2018. The Local Government Association, which represents Councils, says the approximate £470 given by Government to cover the cost of each child's free School meals (FSMs) per year could be extended to many more children in need, if the application process was simplified and made automatic.

The LGA says the process for parents and guardians to sign up their children for FSMs should be streamlined, to capture those who already meet the criteria and ensure no child goes without at least 1 hot nutritious meal a day. Automatic enrolment, instead of parents having to formally apply to their local authority or via their child's academy School, could benefit the estimated 11 per cent of eligible School children; equivalent to 215,000 pupils; who have not yet taken up the offer. This in turn would generate tens of millions of pounds in vital extra pupil premium funding for Schools, which is allocated based on the number of agreed FSM applications per School. This would also help ensure funding gets to where it is needed, in order to narrow the attainment gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. In addition to tackling food poverty, FSMs have also been linked to better results in class and improved diet, leading to a reduction in diet-related health inequalities such as obesity.

Latest research has found that if eligibility was increased, for every £1 invested there could be a return of £1.38. This consists of saving on food costs for families, increased lifetime earnings due to improved educational attainment, and other savings to Schools and the NHS due to reduced obesity rates.  The LGA is calling for the Government to urgently introduce automatic enrolment and consider extending eligibility for FSMs, to ensure all children in poverty are entitled to at least one hot meal per day, including a review of the current income threshold of £7,400 per year. This needs to be alongside a fair and sufficient mainstream welfare system, which ensures families have enough income to meet their essential living costs, in addition to long-term local welfare funding for Councils to provide discretionary support to those most in need.

Cllr Pete Marland, Chairman of the LGA's Resources Board, said:- "Free School meals are a vital lifeline for families who are struggling to make ends meet, just as food prices continue to rise. Food inflation is at its highest for almost half a century and this is hitting the poorest households hardest. The near £500 annual saving for a family for each child on free School meals can make all the difference, now more so than ever before. Encouraging those who are eligible to sign up and automating the process will help relieve this financial burden, freeing up family budgets and improving the next generation's health, education and prospects. The Government should see this as an investment in our children's future, to help them and their families get through this cost of living crisis and come out of it stronger, healthier and more secure."

LITRG explains how to challenge Self Assessment late filing penalties

TAXPAYERS who have been fined for failing to file their Self Assessment Tax Return on time may be able to have their penalties cancelled. The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) said that taxpayers who did not submit their 2021/22 Self Assessment Tax Return online by 31 January 2023 may be able to get the automatic £100 late filing penalty cancelled. If a taxpayer does not meet HMRC's criteria for Self Assessment1 for a year, they can ask HMRC to withdraw the notice to file a Self Assessment return for that year. If HMRC agree to withdraw the requirement, any late filing penalties for that return will be cancelled automatically.

Taxpayers who feel this might apply are being urged to double check their circumstances using the:- 'Check if you need to send a Self Assessment Tax Return' tool on:- Gov.UK, and if appropriate telephone HMRC to get the filing requirement removed.

LITRG added that taxpayers must make this request before filing the return, as HMRC cannot withdraw a filing requirement after the Tax Return has been filed. Taxpayers who do not meet these criteria, but who have a reasonable excuse for not filing by the deadline or have special circumstances to report, may contact HMRC to appeal the penalty. According to HMRC, an estimated:- 600,000 customers missed the 31 January 2023 Self Assessment deadline.

Victoria Todd, Head of LITRG, said:- "HMRC automatically charge a £100 late filing penalty when a taxpayer misses their Self Assessment deadline, regardless of their individual circumstances. However, the law contains safeguards that aim to prevent taxpayers from being penalised in circumstances where those penalties would be unfair. If a taxpayer receives a late filing penalty, they should 1st consider whether they should have been required to file a Self Assessment return in the 1st place. If HMRC agree that a return is not required, then the penalties are cancelled automatically and the requirement to file a Tax Return for the year removed. For example, a taxpayer may have registered for Self Assessment in advance of starting self-employment but never commenced their trade. Alternatively, they may have earned less than £1,000 (gross) of trading income in the year, so may be able to get the filing requirement removed on the basis that the income is under the trading allowance. If a taxpayer cannot get the filing requirement withdrawn, they can appeal the penalty if they have a reasonable excuse, or there are special circumstances. HMRC define a 'reasonable excuse' as something that stopped a taxpayer from meeting a tax obligation which they took reasonable care to meet. Any circumstances could potentially form the basis of a reasonable excuse, provided the taxpayer took reasonable care. HMRC provide some examples on GOV.UK, which include bereavement, serious illness and IT issues. The taxpayer must file their Tax Return without unreasonable delay after the excuse ends. Where the lateness can be explained by a reasonable excuse, or special circumstances, the onus is on the taxpayer to demonstrate this to HMRC so they can consider whether it is appropriate to cancel the penalties. If HMRC do not agree to do so, taxpayers can ask for internal review of the decision and/or appeal to an independent tribunal to decide the matter."