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AUTUMN BUDGET

Boulevard of broken Budget dreams

Has the chancellor reached the end of the road? Jonathan Werran argues that financial redistribution to councils under Fair Funding 2.0 could mark the peak or the pitfall of local government finance tinkering this parliament.

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When it comes to metaphors to illustrate how local government finance is rapidly running out of road and time, one must confess exhaustion and then defeat.

There is always a bit more tarmac laid on, a hiking of council tax thresholds to cover social care funding, exceptional financial support or other such boondoggle. Anything, just anything so the can marked ‘council finance' might be booted a little further on, without addressing the fundamentals.

Jonathan Werran

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