Latest editorial
An aerial view of terraced housing and blocks of flats in west London
GOVERNMENT cuts are forcing local authorities towards bankruptcy and threatening the most basic services to England’s most vulnerable people.
Worst-hit are councils in the country’s most deprived areas, where five local authorities are considering declaring effective bankruptcy this year or next.
Deprived areas make up 30 per cent of those under financial threat.
Only an ambitious programme of state-led investment can restore growth and improve living standards, argues MICHAEL BURKE
Years of underfunding are eroding Scotland’s local services and deepening inequality in communities, says VINCE MILLS
The 2025 Budget shores up the PM’s political position with headline-grabbing welfare U-turns, but with no improvements on offer to declining public services or living standards, writes MICHAEL BURKE
Roger McKenzie talks to general secretary of Unison CHRISTINA McANEA about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on members, the local government funding emergency and the threat of Reform UK