A number of local councils in England, including Birmingham, Nottingham and Croydon, have effectively declared themselves “bankrupt” in recent years, and many more are at risk. A decade of cuts to local authority budgets and increasing demands on services such as social care are forcing councils to make difficult financial decisions. But it’s not just inner-city councils in low-income areas whose threadbare services are overwhelmed.
Last year we published a report on the rising, yet often hidden, problem of rural homelessness. Our findings show how cuts to local funding and services are affecting people and driving a rise in homelessness in the countryside.
We surveyed 157 housing professionals in local authorities across…
