Is No 10 seeking its own destruction? Why else would it botch its council plans and hand a victory to Farage? | Polly Toynbee

"Labour inherited the worst of everything, including prisons beyond breaking point, court backlogs as bad as NHS waiting lists, children cast into exceptional destitution, the National Grid unable to cope with demand, reservoirs unbuilt while sewage poured into rivers, high debt, no money and deep public distrust in politics. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves were honest about what they found."

"Angela Rayner, who was in charge of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government at the time, kicked it off in December 2024. But why, when councils are near-bankrupt and crippled by the ballooning costs of social care and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities? Steve Reed, the local government secretary, boasted to council leaders this week that it will deliver the most ambitious reforms of local government in a generation."

"Local government reform wasn't in the manifesto. Until it was legally challenged because the reorganisation would have delayed local elections in 30 places in England it barely featured on the political horizon because it had no political purpose. Few people know much about what responsibilities fall to different layers of local authority and national government which is why mayors are a good idea, putting an identifiable person in charge."

The Labour government inherited multiple severe public-service crises, including overwhelmed prisons, court backlogs, child destitution, energy and water infrastructure shortfalls, and deep public distrust. Key ministers acknowledged the deteriorated starting position. The government initiated a large-scale English council reorganisation in December 2024 despite councils facing near-bankruptcy and soaring social-care and special-needs costs. The reorganisation was not in the manifesto, faced legal challenge over delayed local elections in 30 areas, and attracted limited public interest or clear political gain. The reshuffle merges districts into county councils and creates unitary authorities, raising organisational risk and voter suspicion.

Read at www.theguardian.com