At least one in three of England’s 152 upper-tier councils are facing ‘severe financial challenges’ in 2018/19, a top auditor has warned.

Head of local government at Grant Thornton UK, Paul Dossett, said if any council was to be declared technically insolvent it would be an upper-tier authority because of their demand-led social care responsibilities.

Mr Dossett said: ‘Some councils have relatively flaky 2017/18 plans but we can see a way forward in 2017/18, but many can’t see how they will balance the budget in 2018/19.’

For more on this story, visit The MJ (£).