Pod Save the UK25 Jan 2024

Why are our councils going bust?

1 in 5 local councils in England is in danger of going bankrupt within the next two years - it’s a growing crisis that Westminster has done its best to ignore. With their budgets continually slashed, council leaders are faced with sometimes impossible choices about which services can be funded and which have to be axed. Nish and Coco discuss the crisis with a council leader, Joe Harris, and a ‘policy wonk’ Zoe Billingham. As they chat it emerges that Michael Gove has committed an extra £500 million into the pot for next year. Our guests verdict? It won’t touch the sides.

Meanwhile in Westminster, is it a rebellion if it’s only one person rebelling? Plus introducing your new favourite Conservative group…the Popular Conservatives or PopCons! Nish is obviously delighted to hear about another SFG (or stupid fucking group), especially as this one has a certain Liz Truss attached to it.

Also find out what Ministers Lucy Frazer and Hugh Merriman did to jointly take the villain of the week crown, while the hero of the week goes to a judge who defended the honour of the poppadom.

Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.

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Guests:

Joe Harris, vice chair of the Local Government Association, and the Lib Dem leader of Cotswold District Council

Zoë Billingham, the director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North think tank

Audio credits:

Sky News

BBC News / Laura Kuenssberg

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