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It's even worse when paired with the ability for a local authority to go bankrupt when it can't cover the bills and be forced to sell off major capital assets (

It's even worse when paired with the ability for a local authority to go bankrupt when it can't cover the bills and be forced to sell off major capital assets (e.g. buildings, sometimes of significant public interest like concerts halls, leisure centres and other community venues). Of course the actual place continues to exist so the local authority will continue to exist in another form, this time with fewer major capital assets and they're paying rents to the people who now own them instead. As pointed out in the article you could see this happen when something entirely out of the authorities control (e.g. spending on SEND children due to the massive increase in eligible children in Central Bedfordshire's case) causes it too.

Muromec 2y ago
>It's even worse when paired with the ability for a local authority to go bankrupt when it can't cover the bills and be forced to sell off major capital assets (e.g. buildings, sometimes of significant public interest like concerts halls, leisure centres and other community venues). Which may be perceived as a actual goal of this mandate if you have enough of tinfoil in your hat.
- TheOtherHobbes 2y ago
  Given that the UK is promoting corporate-owned no-democracy "enterprise zones" it's not tinfoil hat at all. It's the standard neoliberal playbook - defund and cripple public services, complain they're not working, then insist the only solution is for-profit privatisation because it's "more efficient". The result is that all utilities and much of the infrastructure are being run down for profit, and have to be regularly bailed out by central government at vast expense. Which is fine, because this creates a transfer of wealth from tax payers to the already wealthy. The aristocracy literally cannot imagine a country which isn't run for their personal benefit. And the consequence is that many of the areas in the UK are now poorer than anywhere in Europe, or even the US deep south.
  - sarchertech 2y ago
    > poorer than anywhere in Europe, or even the US deep south. By far the poorest state in the US, Mississippi (the deepest south you can get) has a GDP per capita just $1,500 less than Germany. The 2nd and 3rd and 4th poorest states (all southern), West Virginia, Arkansas, and Alabama, have GDPs per capita $6k higher than Germany. Georgia and Tennessee, 2 other states in the Deep South have GDPs per capita higher than all European countries except Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway and Iceland. https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/01/03/the-poorest-us-state-rivals-germany-gdp-per-capita-in-the-us-and-europe https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/01/03/the-poorest-us-...
    - carlob 2y ago
      your point being?
      - sarchertech 2y ago
        That it’s ridiculous to say “poorer than anywhere in Europe or even the US Deep South”. The poorest parts of Europe are so much more impoverished than anywhere in the Deep South that that is an absurd statement. It’s a skewed European attitude to look down on the southern US as the poorest place they can think of outside of Africa or Asia. When in fact the vast majority of the South is better off than economically than 90% of European countries. I once talked to someone traveling to Atlanta ask “do you get CNN down there?” CNN is based in Atlanta.
        carlob 2y ago
        But what you are saying is only true if your measure of poverty is GDP per capita, which is not very good when comparing different levels of inequality or different public policies. Are you sure your claim stands up when you look at things like food insecurity, access to health services and education, percentage of unhoused or under houser...
    - justin66 2y ago
      You are not thinking clearly about the post you're responding to and you're not thinking clearly about the problems faced by the places you're describing. The person you're responding to probably thinks having a lot of deeply impoverished people makes a place "poor." You: some bullshit about GDP.

Muromec 2y ago

>It's even worse when paired with the ability for a local authority to go bankrupt when it can't cover the bills and be forced to sell off major capital assets (e.g. buildings, sometimes of significant public interest like concerts halls, leisure centres and other community venues). Which may be perceived as a actual goal of this mandate if you have enough of tinfoil in your hat.

TheOtherHobbes 2y ago
Given that the UK is promoting corporate-owned no-democracy "enterprise zones" it's not tinfoil hat at all. It's the standard neoliberal playbook - defund and cripple public services, complain they're not working, then insist the only solution is for-profit privatisation because it's "more efficient". The result is that all utilities and much of the infrastructure are being run down for profit, and have to be regularly bailed out by central government at vast expense. Which is fine, because this creates a transfer of wealth from tax payers to the already wealthy. The aristocracy literally cannot imagine a country which isn't run for their personal benefit. And the consequence is that many of the areas in the UK are now poorer than anywhere in Europe, or even the US deep south.
- sarchertech 2y ago
  > poorer than anywhere in Europe, or even the US deep south. By far the poorest state in the US, Mississippi (the deepest south you can get) has a GDP per capita just $1,500 less than Germany. The 2nd and 3rd and 4th poorest states (all southern), West Virginia, Arkansas, and Alabama, have GDPs per capita $6k higher than Germany. Georgia and Tennessee, 2 other states in the Deep South have GDPs per capita higher than all European countries except Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway and Iceland. https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/01/03/the-poorest-us-state-rivals-germany-gdp-per-capita-in-the-us-and-europe https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/01/03/the-poorest-us-...
  - carlob 2y ago
    your point being?
    - sarchertech 2y ago
      That it’s ridiculous to say “poorer than anywhere in Europe or even the US Deep South”. The poorest parts of Europe are so much more impoverished than anywhere in the Deep South that that is an absurd statement. It’s a skewed European attitude to look down on the southern US as the poorest place they can think of outside of Africa or Asia. When in fact the vast majority of the South is better off than economically than 90% of European countries. I once talked to someone traveling to Atlanta ask “do you get CNN down there?” CNN is based in Atlanta.
      - carlob 2y ago
        But what you are saying is only true if your measure of poverty is GDP per capita, which is not very good when comparing different levels of inequality or different public policies. Are you sure your claim stands up when you look at things like food insecurity, access to health services and education, percentage of unhoused or under houser...
  - justin66 2y ago
    You are not thinking clearly about the post you're responding to and you're not thinking clearly about the problems faced by the places you're describing. The person you're responding to probably thinks having a lot of deeply impoverished people makes a place "poor." You: some bullshit about GDP.