COUNCIL chiefs are scared that local authorities are reaching a tipping point under Tory rule with vital services at risk of closure.

As Chancellor George Osborne prepares to make massive cuts in public spending in Wednesday’s Autumn Statement, a poll conducted by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy revealed yesterday that 49 per cent of 237 finance bosses who responded said they were less confident than a year ago and 56 per cent had more concerns about their authority’s overall financial position.

And new figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that total expenditure by local authorities in England has fallen by 8 per cent overall since Prime Minister David Cameron came to power in 2010, from £104.3 billion to £95.9 billion. Spending on roads and transport has dropped by a fifth, education budgets have fallen by 24 per cent in five years and planning and development budgets have dropped by 41 per cent.