The council debt crisis is of the government’s own making
The abolition of the Audit Commission, and the squeeze on local authority budgets, has doubled the sector's liabilities.
ByLocal government
Local government in the United Kingdom manages services for people and businesses in local areas. Some of these services are schools, housing, social care, business support and registrar services. Local councils are a common type of local authority. Local public elected councillors sit on these councils and are responsible for working with local people and businesses to provide these services. Find all our latest news, comment and analysis on local government here.
Exclusive polling: councillors give their verdict on 14 years of Tory rule
As voters head to the polling booths today, 280 English councillors report that the local government sector is in crisis.
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Revealed: the £80bn hole in council finances
A new analysis suggests 23 local authorities are on the brink of insolvency.
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Community ownership matters
Extending cooperative models of ownership for core community assets can open the path to true decentralisation.
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How to save local government without breaking the bank
Local pension pots, business rates, council tax and fiscal devolution – four smart fixes to get councils out of crisis.
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Two thirds of councils are on course to miss climate targets
New polling also reveals that more than half of English councils won’t bid for net zero funding because it’s too…
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Bust Britain
As more councils go bankrupt, the nation’s public realm is dying. How did it come to this?
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An insider’s view of Nottingham City Council
A member of the effectively bankrupt local authority on life after a Section 114 notice.
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Waste collection and library services are at risk of severe cutbacks
Ahead of the Budget next week, local authorities have warned Chancellor Jeremy Hunt of extreme cost pressures.
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We need a ten-year plan for local government
After years of underfunding, councils need a coherent strategy for recovery, reset and renewal.
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Local authorities warn they have “little choice” but to raise council tax
A majority of councils across England have revealed they plan to raise bills by almost 5 per cent this year.
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How council funding impacts public health
While focus often falls on the NHS, cuts to local authority budgets have had serious consequences for the UK's healthcare…
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Rochdale’s by-election brings the Gaza war to Britain
A neglected former mill town is a microcosm of a fractured nation.
By Five solutions to the council finance crisis
Other than a cash injection, how can local leaders save authorities from a wave of bankruptcies?
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English councils are facing an “out-of-control” financial crisis
A new report calls on the government to close the £4bn funding gap, or face a fresh wave of bankruptcies.
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The Research Brief: Why centralised funding is a waste of public money
Your weekly dose of policy thinking.
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Financial pressures are taking a toll on council staff
New polling reveals poor training, accountability and overwork in local authorities.
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Council bankruptcy tracker: authorities under increasing financial strain
Six local authorities have declared bankruptcy since 2021. Spotlight looks at the financial situation at English councils.
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How the local government finance settlement would leave poorer authorities worse off
Conservative MPs are demanding emergency funding in response to devolved finance proposals that penalise poorer councils.
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Neoliberal growth or community wealth: which path will Labour choose?
How the tensions between different models of local development are resolved will define the UK’s economic future.
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