Why more English councils will go bust
Central, not local, mismanagement is mostly to blame
COUNTY HALL in Maidstone was built in grand style, all stone and tall sash windows. Home to the county council since the 19th century, part of it was designed by Robert Smirke, the architect of the British Museum. But it has become costly and impractical. Anyway, Kent needs to find £86m (or $107m) in savings this financial year, around 15% of its budget. If not, bankruptcy may loom. Selling the hall is one option. “We are open to offers,” says Peter Oakford, the council’s deputy leader.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Councils of despair”
Britain September 16th 2023
- Why Britain has a unique problem with economic inactivity
- A spy for China in Britain’s Parliament?
- Why more English councils will go bust
- The (not so) great escape
- Britain’s surprising, upstart universities
- How to get ready for the end of the world
- Centrists need to stop worrying and learn to love politics
From the September 16th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Britain
The four worst words in British politics
Saying “not a good look” is not a good look
Inflation in Britain looks irritatingly persistent
Worse, the risk has appeared just as growth is sputtering
Labour lacks good ideas for improving Britain’s schools
Making private ones a bit more expensive is not an inspiring start
Britons brace themselves for more floods
A warming planet is making a soggy island soggier
Why meal-replacement drinks are shaking up the British lunch
They are being rebranded as aspirational as well as efficient