Councils’ funding pressures is not a go-to topic for the media, but the news in Northamptonshire has shone a spotlight on the issue.
While many have drawn their own conclusions on the administration at Northamptonshire, once the hysteria has died down it seems logical to await the government’s independent review of the county.
Whatever the outcome there are clearly wider issues at play here that are beyond the council’s control. These were alluded to by LGA chairman Lord Porter, who said earlier this week that in Northants ‘years of underfunding won’t be fixed by savings alone’.
From the period 2015 to 2020, the county will see a drop in core government grants of 39%, this is almost double the average drop for councils in London (22%) and significantly higher than metropolitan councils (28%).
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