A British Town’s Novel Solution to Austerity
PRESTON, England—For years, almost all of Britain’s political energy has been consumed by the country’s withdrawal from the European Union. The issue has dominated evening news programs, front pages, and conversation in London.
Yet beyond Brexit, and outside the British capital, a great change is taking place, one that is refashioning Britons’ relationship to their government, and what they can expect it to do for them. The country has been cutting official spending on public services for nearly a decade, a policy of austerity that began in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. The effort to reduce Britain’s debt load, led by the Conservative Party of David Cameron and now Theresa May, has been, the government argues, a necessary belt-tightening, a period of sacrifice needed to get the country on a firmer financial footing.
Much of the responsibility for these cuts has been passed on to local councils, the lowest level, with funding for almost half of the councils entirely this year. Those cuts have been felt unevenly across the country, with poorer parts of Britain suffering significant pullbacks in services. To make up the shortfall, councils have sought difficult solutions: Services have been outsourced to private companies; public spaces such as parks and libraries have been sold; experienced public servants have lost their jobs. The situation could still worsen—one council that it cannot balance its books, leading government inspectors to conclude that .
