The Government's recent announcement of £500m in debt forgiveness for Surrey as part of its reorganisation into two new unitary authorities has prompted serious reflection in Northamptonshire. For those of us who led and lived through the reorganisation of our own councils in 2021, the contrast in treatment is not only stark, it is indefensible.
Northamptonshire's financial crisis in 2018, which led to two Section 114 notices, was one of the most significant in local government history. Yet, despite the scale of the challenge, no debt relief was offered. Instead, our councils were forced to absorb the consequences of past mismanagement without transitional funding, without support for restructuring, and without the financial breathing room now afforded to Surrey.
