Councils in former Labour heartlands pushed to brink by pandemic

The pandemic has blown a deep hole in local government finances at a time when many councils were already struggling to stay afloat.

A new study given to Channel 4 News has found most councils in England face substantial cuts to services and jobs or effectively go bankrupt.

That is especially true in the former Labour heartlands from the Midlands to the north of England, many of which turned Tory at the last general election.