People walk by Victoria Square, Birmingham, September 20, 2023
COUNCILS across England, Scotland and Wales are facing financial collapse with a collective black hole of £4 billion after more than a decade of Tory government cuts and austerity.
Public-sector union Unison, which represents hundreds of thousands of council workers, says the deficit is “way beyond” previous estimates and is likely to mean “massive cuts” to jobs and vital services.
The union’s report, Councils on the Brink, says that the worst-hit local authorities are Hampshire County Council (£132 million deficit), Bradford City Council (£126m), Birmingham City Council (£119m), Somerset Council (£104m) and Leicester City Council (£90m).
After years of austerity and denial under a new Reform UK council, a failing Send service was pushed into the spotlight by staff, unions and parents — culminating in a £1.3m funding boost and a 50% increase in front-line workers. MARTIN PORTER explains
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
