The next prime minister should take action to help central government spot financial problems in local councils, according to housing secretary James Brokenshire.
Speaking to the Local Government Association conference this week, Brokenshire said he was “keen to see us working together more collaboratively to harness this collective responsibility to drive improvement – to get the difficult balance between managing day to day pressures and being dynamic and demanding excellence right.”
He added: “That’s why I believe that the next leader of my party will need to look afresh at the entire ecosystem underpinning local government and acknowledge that role we all have to play – to spot problems earlier, champion best practice and help each other improve.
“Central government, for example, could and should do more to identify and support struggling councils earlier to prevent failure and protect residents.”
