CLG shadow secretary, Caroline Flint, this week warns ministers to stop ‘holding a gun to the head' of local government by demanding front-loaded spending cuts in return for newly-devolved powers.
Writing exclusively for The MJ, Ms Flint claims that despite measures taken to ease the impact of front-loading in last month's finance settlement, the immediacy of many councils' required cuts will still leave ‘potholes that will go unfixed, streets left unswept… youth clubs and libraries that will shut down'.
