Blog: How much trouble is your local council in?

As council budgets are slashed by central government, bankruptcies will continue to increase. Only emergency funding now will save our local services

Christina McAnea, arms folded, in front of conference stage - 'Fighting for our future'

At every stage of our lives, we depend on services close to our homes in our local communities. Most of these services are delivered by councils and the council staff who dedicate their work to supporting others. 

Yet they’re finding their work is being undermined as budgets are slashed to the bone – and after 13 years of cuts, there’s not much left.

A staggering funding chasm of £3.5 billion by the financial year 2024/25 looms over our councils. The impact is not abstract, it has real consequences for people.

In the aftermath of Birmingham, Thurrock and Woking Councils’ bankruptcies, countless other councils will dominate headlines as the financial struggle becomes more acute.

This week, UNISON is launching new data on the exact funding gap that your council is facing. It’s bleak reading, but there is action that you can take to help your community.

First, we’re asking you to take a look here and see the difficulty facing your local council, and second, we’re asking you to contact your MP, MSP or Senned Member to ask them to support our calls for increased central government funding for local councils.

Your council needs you to stand up for the services we all rely on. When we stand together, we can make real change happen.

By us all reaching out to our local members of parliament, we make our demands impossible to ignore – only emergency funding now will save our services.