The study finds that:
local government spending in England is set to fall by nearly 30 per cent between 2008 and 2015; an equivalent figure for Scotland would be 24 per cent. The underlying cut in funding for existing services is even higher;
cuts in spending power and budgeted spend are systematically greater in more deprived local authorities than in more affluent ones – a difference of around £100 per head in both England and Scotland;
reductions in spending tell only part of the story as authorities also have to cope with rising costs and demands.