Is local government heading for broke? The scale and speed of budget cuts mean that councils do not have the time and space to ensure permanent and sustainable reductions in cost

Jonathan Carr-WestThe scale of budget reductions means that some councils, including some large ones, are bound to fail. The irony is that dealing with immediate budget cuts mean that councils do not have the time and space to invest in or think deeply about the measures that will ensure permanent and sustainable reductions in cost. Jonathan Carr-West writes that local authorities have both the motivation and the capacity to change, but the central government must make it easier for them to do so.