Local Councils Call for Reform to Avoid Service ‘Breaking Point’

Local services could reach “breaking point” unless the next government provides long-term funding and delivers “fundamental” reforms, the County Councils Network (CCN) said on Thursday. It comes after the network warned in December that seven in ten county authorities were not confident they could balance the books in the following year. CCN, which represents 37 county councils and unitary authorities in England, serving 47 percent of England’s population, said county authorities are facing a £2 billion funding gap over the next two years, or £1.1 billion when council tax rises and planned savings are taken into account. The cross-party network warned that whoever wins the general election on July 4 will inherit an “extremely precarious” situation, and called on political parties to consider proposals such as introducing price caps on children’s services and giving county authorities more economic tools....