A highly uncertain election and more austerity mean the future remains unpredictable and challenging for most councils.
Manchester’s deals with George Osborne and the promise of more devolution for the Core Cities and others pledge at least a more dignified future even if the detail of exactly how much autonomy local government generally will have isn’t clear.
In Ipsos MORI research, the British are more enthusiastic about the idea of local determination of public services than virtually any other major country – perhaps because we are among the most centralised.
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