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Councils spend £3.8bn on commercial property

Councils paid £3.8bn for commercial property between 2013 and 2017, according to new research. A study by property consultancy Carter Jonas and retail property representative body Revo, found that around £1.7bn went on offices, £1.2bn on retail premises, £600m on shopping centres and £400 on retail parks. The remainder was spent on warehouses, leisure centres and mixed-use schemes. Spelthorne and Warrington borough councils were the two biggest spenders during the period.

The local government financial crisis has not been caused by a lack of funding: that’s just a symptom of the inherent conflict of having independent local authorities within a highly centralised state, argues Conrad Hall.

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