t on Exceptional Financial Support from the government, and more expected to be in that position in 2025 (London Councils, 2024). Two SP9 survey respondent authorities said they had issued section 114 notices between April 2022 and March 2024, and five said they were considering issuing a notice within the next 12 months. In interview discussions with DCSs, the assumption was that, without a significant intervention, more section 114 notices would follow. 1 These give notice that a local authority’s forecast income is insufficient to meet its forecast expenditure for the next year. 10 1.1 Short-term funding Nearly three quarters (74%) of the local authorities responding to the SP9 survey reported receiving at least one form of other grant funding from government in the two-year period. Many were bracing for the current end dates for several significant ring-fenced grants. Action for Children analysed government funding allocations for six programmes launched since 20182 and found that 148 local authorities have received funding from at least one of these programmes, with 47 involved in one and up to 11 in four programmes (Elliot, 2024). Given the competitive nature of these opportunities, many local authorities will ultimately not benefit, despite having put considerable resources into the application process, contributing to the fragmented picture of provision across England. SP9 survey respondents noted how grants have allowed innovations to be tested, provided opportunities to build workforce knowledge and capacity, enabled work on transformation to take place and contributed to policy development on a national level. However, pressures arising from short-term, time-limited, competitive funding in the context of resource pressures are significant. Delivery timescales