The streetlights going out over Britain tell a brutal story: austerity isn't over – it's getting worse | John Harris

Fear of municipal bankruptcy now stalks scores of places across the UK .

Shropshire , Bristol , Dudley , Cheshire East , Somerset and Hampshire are among the places and areas now said to fear bankruptcy.

The same thing is happening everywhere: the decline and collapse of a layer of government.

The Local Government Association reckons that in 2025-26 , local leaders in England will face a 2.3bn gap (or, if you prefer, “black hole”) This will rise to 3.9bn in 2026-27 .

The only route to something better lies in finally giving places the means to manage something more than failure or survival.