More councils have gone bust in 2023 than in the 30 years before 2018, with eight effectively declaring bankruptcy since that year: Northamptonshire, Croydon, Slough, Northumberland, Thurrock, Woking, Birmingham and Nottingham.  But why are councils going bust? Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor, is joined by policy correspondent Megan Kenyon and Jonny Ball, associate editor of the New Statesman’s policy section, Spotlight, to delve into what’s happening in townhalls across the country. Read Anoosh's report on Thurrock: <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-report/2023/08/thurrock-council-bankrupt-community-gambled" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The town that was gambled away</a> Follow the <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/economic-growth/regional-development/2024/01/council-bankruptcy-tracker-local-government-authorities-finances" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">council bankruptcy tracker</a>LISTEN AD-FREE:📱<a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2022/06/newapp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Download the New Statesman app</a> MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/2022/10/you-ask-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ask a question</a> – we answer them every Friday⏰ <a href="https://morningcall.substack.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get our daily politics newsletter</a> every morning✍️ <a href="http://saturdayread.substack.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Enjoy the best of our writing</a> via email every Saturday<hr /> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Episode details and artwork are published by the show’s own feed. Sentinel plays short cited excerpts and links every episode back to its publisher.

← All episodes from The New Statesman

Why do local councils keep collapsing?

Search the Record

The New Statesman Episodes Around February 19, 2024

Rwanda: the Conservatives' bill to die on

Will David Cameron be forced to face the Commons?

Susan Neiman: "It's not about being pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, but pro-human rights"

Is Labour's green agenda under threat?

Are the Conservatives laying a trap for Labour?

Parliament’s sleaze epidemic, with Chris Bryant

Is the NHS ready for developments in cancer care? | Sponsored

How would a Labour government handle Northern Ireland?

Vape ban, smoking ban: Rishi Sunak's "nanny state"

Left Behind: the failed revolutions of the 2010s

Liz Truss is back – and this time she’s “popular”

Your polling questions answered, with Ben Walker

Fake romance: the UK’s leading "catfishing" fraud specialist

Labour’s Rochdale unravelling, with Andrew Marr

Swing Time: Wellingborough and Kingswood turn red

Why do local councils keep collapsing?

How to tackle the UK's plastic pollution problem | Sponsored

Out of Order! Chaos in parliament over ceasefire vote

Have the Tories given up on the culture wars?

Chumocracy is tearing Britain apart

Where do we get the money to fix the world's biggest problems? | Sponsored

Tory islamophobia: “Reform UK is driving them demented” – with Andrew Marr

George Galloway's back, back again

Leaseholds are a big feudal con

Spring Statement: let's talk about growth!

Is Starmer showing his "true colours"?

Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram's "rallying cry for a more equal Britain"

Rishi Sunak has lost control

How does the whip system work? + Are Tory voters dying out?

Why are female politicians still taken less seriously?

Labour's economic plans: 'Bidenomics' without the money?

Summary