Ministers must respect our councils over crisis – The Yorkshire Post says

However it is also correct to point out that these grants barely cover half of the additional costs that towns halls have incurred.

And, while it would be improper for Whitehall to micro-manage councils, there does need to be recognition from Ministers that this is on the top of a decade of austerity which has left many town halls facing bankruptcy.

Without the work of councils, and the dedication of so many of their staff, the Government would have faced far more criticism over its response to the pandemic.

This is particularly true of social care which had been unreformed and underfunded for years before Covid-19 struck.

The local authority employees concerned are key workers and the Government’s approach towards them certainly needs to be less confrontational – Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’s fractious relationship with teachers being a case in point.

Equally, councils cannot expect Chancellor Rishi Sunak to keep writing blank cheques – he knows that he is going to have to say ‘no’ far more frequently as the Treasury comes to terms with the cost of the crisis.

They, too, look at their costs and overheads in a whole new light. Can they, for example, justify building new offices on prestige locations when more staff will, in future, be working from home? It’s just one of many unresolved questions as the often uneasy relationship between national and local government evolves.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

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James Mitchinson

Editor