May out in May?

 Ahead of the English council elections in May it is extraordinary  that it is a Conservative run council which may be responsible for Tory losses that could trigger the challenge to Prime Minister Theresa May

Northamptonshire County Council said on Friday it had brought in a "section 114" notice, banning new expenditure. 

The leader of the council forced to ban almost all spending said she warned the government the authority was about to "fall over the edge of the cliff".

Heather Smith, Conservative council leader, said it was the "perfect storm" of increases in demand for services and reductions in government funding. 

"We did warn that we would become unsustainable,"

 "We have been warning government from about 2013/14 that, with our financial position, we couldn't cope with the levels of cuts we were facing.

"Before Christmas, I wrote to the secretary of state to say we were about to fall over the edge of the cliff because we can't just increase council tax.

"We've been in what you might call a perfect storm of huge increases in demand for our services at the same time as significant reductions in funding from central government."

It is the first section 114 notice - a provision of the Local Government Finance Act - issued in about 20 years but Prof Tony Travers, from The London School of Economics, believes others could follow.

He said:

 "I think there are others that are quite close to Northamptonshire's position and, with so-called austerity continuing into the next decade, I would be amazed if Northamptonshire was the only council to get into these circumstances."

Years of freezes  or low council tax have meant that council have relied on the Block grant from the UK government or via the devolved governments meant that  to A potential 12.5% rise in council tax in Pembrokeshire will not be blocked by the Welsh Government a potential 12.5% rise in council tax in Pembrokeshire will not be blocked by the Welsh Government will come as shock to the residents there.

Even opposition councillors if they are honest find it hard to attack cuts knowing that if they were elected they would be faced with the nightmare of balancing the books knowing full well that they may have to hike council tax at least until the budget before the next election.

Have any council leaders proposed  that  their highest council tax rise when in power just before they face the electorate?

Or any opposition leader call for an higher council tax to raise revenue rather than make cuts?

The blame lies with both Labour and Tory/Lib Dem  governments over the years  who have cut finance to lock authorities or deny them the means to raise it themselves and even if they were to the ruling group fear being voted out.

The ongoing Tory cuts have seen councils everywhere cutting services to the bone a policy which has been helped by the fact that when the local council closes  your local library it is the Town Halls who are blamed not central government.

To what extent the news that a Tory led council has been forced into  what almost resembles receivership  may finally lead to blame  finally being placed where it belongs and the Tory government in Westminster

If this becomes the case then my prediction of "May out in May" well be the case.