Over recent months, you may have seen local authorities warning that they are facing a funding crisis. Since 2021, six local authorities have declared themselves effectively bankrupt, and many other local authorities have reported that they may soon be forced to do the same.

How did we end up here? Why are local councils facing funding pressures? And what can government do to help them?

Joining us to answer these questions are Tony Travers, a professor in the Department of Government at LSE and expert on local government, and David Phillips, Head of Devolved and Local Government Finance at IFS.

Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/

Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individualmembership

00:00 1:40: Intro
1:41 3:15: What is local government?
3:16 5:12: Local government spending
5:13 7:05: Schools
7:06 9:07: Tiers of local government
9:08 12:10: How is local government funded?
12:11 16:30: Central government funding
16:31 19:52: Are councils in crisis?
19:53 22:18: The cost of social care
22:19 27:40: Which councils are facing difficulty?
27:41 29:39: What does bankruptcy mean for a council?
29:40 31:30: Provision of key services
31:31 37:03: What next for councils?
37:04 40:39: Council tax reform
40:40 43:53: Conclusion