Local councils funding crisis cannot be ignored by the new Government if social fabric is to repaired
Councils across England, Scotland and Wales have a collective hole in their finances amounting to more than £4bn, according to its research.
Countless other bodies have warned over the state of local government finances.
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Hide AdThis will only lead to important services being cut such as social care, children’s services and waste collections being reduced.


It’s particularly concerning for Bradford with the council predicted to have the second biggest shortfall.
Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, says that in the short-term “more extremely difficult decisions will have to be made about the services that we provide and more savings will need to be made”.
This is off the back off financial savings that the council has already had to make.
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Hide AdIt is not an issue that has crept up on the country. The crisis cannot be blamed on individual council profligacy. It isn’t just councils in the North or those run by a particular party that are in trouble. The warning signs are everywhere.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has talked about fixing the tears in the social fabric of this country. Any attempts to do so would be undermined by a collapse in local services.
People already feeling disenfranchised will feel they matter even less.
Since 2018, eight councils have issued section 114 notices, meaning they risk failing to meet the legal requirement to balance their books. The chances are there will be many more issuing 114 notices.
That is why the newly elected Labour Government cannot ignore the funding crisis in local government.
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