Civic pride vs bankruptcy of local councils

Morpeth Town Hall

Civic pride, in essence, is about a sense of identity and belonging. The flip side of ‘pride’ is ‘shame’, which is associated with a sense of failure – disrepair, dereliction and despondency. I guess this also applies as the flip side of civic pride. 

Town halls across the country are in serious financial trouble. In recent years 8 local councils, including Birmingham, Nottingham and Croydon, have effectively announced their bankruptcy (in the form of section 114 notices) since 2020. Various others have warned in recent months that they might have to do the same. The consequences can be severe with steep increases in council tax alongside reductions in local services.  

There’s no way around the fact that local councils are facing a funding crisis and ‘shame’ seems to be the order of the day. However, it doesn’t have to be like this. I remain convinced that we need more local democracy not less.  

A nostalgic view of the Victorian era conjures up images of civic pride, when local government was free from the grip of Westminster and local leaders had the ambition to improve their communities. Harking back to the ‘good old days’ will get us nowhere, but moves towards decentralisation through the creation of ‘metro mayors’ does seem to provide a real opportunity to end the culture of ‘Whitehall knows best’ and to restore powers and freedoms for local government.  

We all rely on local councils for core public services, including social care, roads, waste management and planning. They play a vital role in regeneration, community safety and climate action. Better ways can be found to secure proper financing for them. It is local, not central, government that can best represent and serve our communities and revive civic pride. The next government must reform the system of local authority funding and local taxation. You don’t have to take my word for it; this was the conclusion of a recent report by the House of Commons, Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee. It can’t come soon enough.                  John Gowing