Nearly one in 10 councils in England have warned they will go bust in the next 12 months as authorities plan widespread cuts, above-inflation council tax rises and across-the-board increases to resident charges, a survey has revealed.
The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) annual poll of local authority leaders and top managers reveals a near-total collapse in confidence in the financial viability of councils as they grapple with desperate pressures and shrinking budgets.
It warns that council insolvencies once extremely rare and triggered by unusual special factors such as the failure of commercial investments should now be regarded as normal occurrences likely to hit even well run authorities.
The LGIU chief executive, Jonathan Ca…
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/28/nearly-one-in-10-english-councils-expect-to-go-bust-in-next-year-survey-finds