Councils across the land have been forced to cut, and cut quite severely in many cases.

Some say they are getting close to not being able to afford to cover the statutory services, while others are dipping into reserves to balance the books.

The general rule is that councils are facing a 40 per cent cut in funding from central government.

It goes without saying that local government, as we know it, will not be able to continue.

The Conservative government, and the coalition before it, has made no secret of these ‘efficiencies’.

But according to the Local Government Association the amount of money available to deliver some of the most popular local services will shrink by 66 per cent by the end of the decade.

Councils are preparing strategies to help mitigate these pressures but, as Lancashire County Council has discovered, compulsory job losses are next.

Many local authorities are already working together to reform services.

Government can help by loosening strings on local government and encouraging sharing of resources between councils.

At the end of it all, local authorities must do all they can to protect the most vulnerable.