English councils need £4bn to prevent widespread bankruptcy, MPs say

Ministers must urgently inject £4bn into English town hall budgets to prevent widespread council bankruptcy, according to a cross-party group of MPs who are also calling for an overhaul of the “outdated and regressive” council tax. More from The Guardian.

Meanwhile, financial decisions related to Woking Borough Council – which effectively declared itself bankrupt in June – could be published in March (more from BBC News), while Brighton and Hove Council has published a plan it hopes will help it avoid effective bankruptcy. More from BBC News.