Really pleased to publish this piece in Public Money & Management this week on the devestating case of the Birmingham City Council "bankruptcy". The Birmingham case is the result of a decade of bad policy, underfunding, and a lack of oversight: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

Local audit & financial reporting arrangements are in desperate need of reform, with the most vulnerable in society paying for systemic failures. The government need to get this right in the upcoming local audit bill later this year! Research for Action The Audit Reform Lab

THREAD!!!

👀 Just a reminder we are not here much - mostly posting at bsky.app/profile/resear… !

Fifty years ago public investment in local authority housing “peaked in 1974/5 at £2.2 bn — £23.3 bn in 2023/4 prices.” £2 bn for “affordable” housing is a smaller investment than in recent years. Compared to historic levels, it's a *tiny* fraction. ft.com/content/c4a305…

We are researching effects of Westminster interventions in English councils - we want to speak to councillors, officers, journalists, trade unions, campaigners, community groups in #Woking, #Slough & #Croydon - please share & let us know if you'd like to speak (anon of course)

We are currently researching Westminster interventions in councils in crisis. We're looking to talk to councillors, officers, grassroots campaigners, journalists & trade unions in Woking, Slough & Croydon. If that's you, get in touch! #LocalGov #LocalDemocracy #CouncilsInCrisi

The key reason why so many councils are effectively bankrupt - the scrapping of the audit commission in 2015 removed the last check-and-balance to "market chaos". Not all quango red tape was bad...some saved us fortunes. theguardian.com/business/2025/…

📣 NEW REPORT! 👀 Scrutiny of #localgov finances is more important than ever, yet financial information is too obscure. Our new report (with Paul Gilbert from @UniSussex) makes the case for changing that. Read it here➡️researchforaction.uk/new-report-on-…

"Financial reporting ‘hit by austerity and lack of standard requirements'" Coverage of our recent report on Room 151: room151.co.uk/news-in-brief/… Read full report on our website: researchforaction.uk/new-report-on-…

Next week, Parliament will debate the English Devolution Bill that suggests the biggest upheaval of #localgov in decades. The bill also tries to fix the local audit crisis - welcome start but more is needed, we say: 👉👉 researchforaction.uk/local-audit-re…

No. But I do want to hear why it won't from the "senior leaders" who have let us reach the breaking point where the question even needs asking.

Will selling off community centres, sports clubs and nurseries fix the local government funding crisis? No. Will giving more councils the power to borrow in the short-term to fund everyday services fix the local government funding crisis? Also no. Here's the real issue🔽

Disastrous. After decades of austerity, our communities cannot afford to lose any more. We need investment in public homes and public services - not the further plundering of our shared resources.