Councils blaming Westminster for every penny they spend. Enough.

It’s the same old story every time. A Tory council in London whacks up taxes by some ridiculous amount and then suddenly it’s all the fault of the government. Wandsworth are saying government cuts forced their hand, but then they’re still run by Tories. Makes you wonder who they’re actually working for. They seem more interested in keeping their own people happy than thinking about the bigger picture.

We need a clear system for how local government is funded. Not just what they get from council tax, but proper grants from central government too. And that funding needs to be needs-based, not postcode lottery based. If a council is struggling, it should get the support it needs, but it should be transparent why. No more blaming the ‘cuts’ when they’ve spent money on something else entirely.

My idea is a national needs assessment for local services.