The troubled families initiative, where councils take an holistic approach to the needs of families, has the potential to deliver billions of pounds in savings.

It is estimated that nationally, the 120,000 troubled families cost the taxpayer £9 billion per year, £8 billion of which is spent purely reacting to their problems and the problems they cause, such as truancy, youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

Latest calculations by councils show the potential for savings. Barnet Council spends almost £100,000 on average every year on responding to each of its troubled families, compared with costs that can be as little as £10,000 per family for a successful intervention. Solihull Council spends 18% of its overall budget on just 3% of its families before it started working on the troubled families.

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