Cuts to local authority budgets began in 2010 under the coalition Conservative and Liberal Democrat government, as part of the wider reform agenda to reduce the deficit following the financial crisis of 2008.

But almost a decade on the Local Government Association (LGA) says more and more councils are struggling to balance their books, facing overspends and having to make in-year budget cuts.

Some of the basic facts and figures highlighted by the LGA are;

– Between 2010 and 2020 councils will have lost almost 60p out of every £1 the government provides for services.

– Main government grant funding for local services will be cut by a further £1.3billion (or 36%) in 2019/20.

– It is estimated councils would need an additional £8billion more than they are expected to have in 2024/2025 to deliver the same services as today.

Against this financial backdrop, the LGA says there is an ongoing surge in demand for council services.

Town halls are being asked to take on larger caseloads providing statutory services in adult and children’s services, and housing homeless families.

All of this leaves less money for day-to-day services such as running libraries or filling potholes.

The size of local government staffing has also shrunk significantly over the last 20 years by 629,000 (or 23% of the directly employed council workforce), while central government staffing has increased by 31%.

The LGA has called on the chancellor to tackle this “funding crisis” and says it is working hard to try and bring money back into local government.

Cllr Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s resources board, said: “Losing a further £1.3billion of central government funding at this time is going to tip many councils over the edge.

“Many local authorities will reach the point where they only have the funds to provide statutory responsibilities and it will be our local communities and economies who will suffer the consequences.