Every day, councils change lives for the better.They keep us safe and provide parks, libraries and open spaces for everyone to enjoy; they make sure families have access to good local childcare and schools; and they build affordable homes for us to live in. They help people live as independent and fulfilled lives as possible. They keep our streets clean, build roads and fix potholes, and make sure the food we eat is safe.

But all of this is now at risk.

By 2020, local authorities will have faced a reduction to core funding from the Government of nearly £16bn over the preceding decade. That means councils will have lost 60 pence out of every £1 the Government had provided to spend on local services in the last eight years. Next year, 168 councils will receive no core central government funding at all.