Let's talk about local government funding

It's the summer holidays yet negotiations are already underway in Nottingham to identify the next round of ‘savings' required for the 2019/20 budget. With each year that passes this process gets harder, takes longer and feels increasingly counter-intuitive. In the beginning, there was some rationalising to be done but the services now being removed are the ones that our communities hold dear to their hearts - more libraries are closing, potholes remain unfilled, bins get collected less frequently, meals on wheels go undelivered, children's centres are closing and community assets are being sold off.

In recent weeks the perilous state of local government funding has finally hit the headlines and I think it's safe to say we're entering uncharted territory as the first council edges towards bankruptcy and the list of others issuing similar warnings grows day by day. Whilst in some senses I was glad to hear these issues finally being debated on Radio 4 and reported on the evening news, I was sorry it took such a tragedy to get us to this place. Earlier this year the National Audit Office estimated that councils have experienced a 49 per cent real-terms reduction in funding since 2010, for those who doubt the severity of our situation, I'd urge them to read this memorable interview with the Mayor of Liverpool last year. He spelled out our dilemma in no uncertain terms - even if he closed all of the city's libraries and leisure centres, stopped maintaining its 140 parks, filling potholes or cleaning the streets and switched off 50,000 streetlights, he still couldn't balance the council's books by 2020.