Summary: Councils are facing unprecedented financial pressure and core services are creaking. How did we get here and what needs to happen? In this week’s bumper episode we speak to council leaders, the LGA, SOLACE and experts from the NAO, IFS and CfPS about their reaction to the findings of LGiU’s State of Local Government Finance survey. A fascinating exploration of how councils across the country are dealing with ongoing budget cuts, the impact on their residents and the path to a sustainable funding model. We cover everything from tax devolution to commercialisation, how to make business rates and council tax fit for purpose to the problems with getting our message out to residents and Government. Essential listening for anyone who wants to see local government thrive in the future. Guests: Cllr Michelle Lowe, Deputy Leader of Sevenoaks District Council (0:10:30) Cllr Roger Lawrence, Leader of City of Wolverhampton Council (0:14.52) Cllr Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council & Chair of the County Councils Network (0:17:31) Cllr Doina Cornell, Leader of Stroud District Council (0:19:48) Cllr Abdul Jabbar, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council (0:23:05) Aileen Murphie, Director of MHCLG & Local Government Value for Money at National Audit Office (0:31:45) Piali Das Gupta, Director of Policy at SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) (0:53:37) David Phillips, Associate Director leading on Local Government Finance at the Institute of Fiscal Studies (0:57:10) Jacqui McKinlay, Chief Executive of the CfPS (Centre for Public Scrutiny)(1:09:00) Cllr Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council & Chair of the LGA Resources Board (1:14:37) Hosted by Jennifer Glover and Jonathan Carr-West, with interviews by Ingrid Koehler.
