LABOUR has been urged to back local services after an investigation found council deficits have rocketed to over £5 billion.

After years of Tory cuts, basic services are under threat as never before, with a BBC probe revealing that town halls’ debt interest payments have risen by 60 per cent in two years to an average of £33 million.

Adult social care, disability support, leisure centres and discounts for waste collection and parking face unprecedented cuts as council chiefs expect to be £5.2bn short of balancing the books by April 2026 — despite making £2.5bn of planned cuts.