Our councils will need bailout to avoid bankruptcy – The Yorkshire Post says

Councils have - to their credit - maintained bin services during the Covid-19 lockdown.Councils have - to their credit - maintained bin services during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Councils have - to their credit - maintained bin services during the Covid-19 lockdown. | other
THIS country’s new-found respect for its key workers is self-evident when families take to their doorsteps to show their appreciation for NHS staff, carers and others.

Yet one group are still to receive sufficient recognition; namely those front line town hall workers who have ensured that key local services have continued.

Without them, Boris Johnson would be facing even greater criticism over the Government’s response. But therein lies the rub. The cost of doing so, on the back of a decade of austerity, has left some councils across Yorkshire facing financial ruin.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yet, while Ministers have – in fairness – offered some recompense, it does not cover the costs incurred by town halls. They also do not have unlimited cash ‘reserves’ at their disposal; they have already been used to paper over the cracks and respond to record demand for adult social care.

Communities Secretary robert Jenrick is in charge of local government.Communities Secretary robert Jenrick is in charge of local government.
Communities Secretary robert Jenrick is in charge of local government. | Crown Copyright

And nor is the Government’s assistance sufficient to prevent some authorities warning that they might have to declare themselves bankrupt if they’re unable to balance their books.

The consequence? Even more drastic cuts to those services that the most vulnerable count on each day. What happens when bins aren’t collected? Or when meals on wheels stop? Or if free school meals don’t reach at-risk children? The list is endless – and repercussions unimaginable.

This is not to overlook the cost of Covid-19 to the wider economy. Quite the opposite. But it’s a reminder that the wider damage to society will be incalculable if Ministers do not recognise the immediacy of this local government crisis.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Urgent before Covid-19, it is even more pressing this weekend as some councils will only be able to continue if they see the level of political intervention that saw historic NHS debts wiped out at the start of this emergency. Mr Johnson, you have been warned.

The cost of responding to Covid-19 has left some councils on the brink of financial meltdown.The cost of responding to Covid-19 has left some councils on the brink of financial meltdown.
The cost of responding to Covid-19 has left some councils on the brink of financial meltdown. | Johnston Press

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

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice