Written evidence we received highlighted that EFS was no longer considered exceptional and there were concerns that some local authorities required measures ‘over and above’ the EFS framework, given the scale of their financial distress.64 MHCLG told us it recognised that whilst EFS provided support in the short term, it formed “part of a toolkit”, and was not a long term strategy to deal with local government funding.65 It added that it saw EFS as a short-term intervention until it can make the more fundamental changes it plans.66