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UK councils face a £3bn black hole in their budgets as they emerge from the pandemic, a BBC investigation into their finances can reveal.
Some local authorities were struggling to carry out statutory duties and were at risk of bankruptcy, a local government expert said.
And 10 councils have asked to borrow £300m of emergency money from the government to plug financial holes.
The government says it has handed councils £12bn during the pandemic.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said: In the coming months, we will take stock of the demands faced by councils and the resources available to meet them and will decide on the timetable for future funding reform.
BBC News
By Alex Homer
image copyrightFamily handout
image captionPhilippa Day (pictured left with her sister Imogen) took a fatal overdose and died in October 2019
The family of a woman who took a fatal overdose after her benefit payments were cut say they have begun a legal claim against the government.
Philippa Day, 27, was found collapsed at her Nottingham home beside a letter rejecting her request for an at-home benefits assessment in August 2019.
It comes amid calls for a wider inquiry into the Department for Work & Pensions handling of cases.
The DWP said: When, sadly, there is a tragic case we take it very seriously.
Radio Exe wins BBC local democracy contract
Radio Exe is one of 18 news organisations in the UK that will employ journalists to cover ‘local democracy’, providing content to other media companies who qualify to receive it.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has been running for three years. Until now it has been operated in Devon by Reach, publishers of local papers such as the Western Morning News, Express and Echo, and Herald Express, and websites such as DevonLive.
From the 1st of July, the three-year contract passes to Radio Exe.
An increase in the number of reporters in Devon from that date will mean greater coverage of local councils and public sector organisations such as the health service, police and fire service.
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