Search The Bureau Website

Local Power

Keeping a check on local government spending and its effect on UK communities

@bureaulocal

16 network members working on this investigation

100 local stories published as part of this investigation

View stories

19 open resources used in this investigation

Get the data

Highlights from the Investigation

04.03.19

Local Power

Revealed: The thousands of public spaces lost to the council funding crisis

Libraries, playgrounds, and community centres are being sold by councils as they struggle to stay afloat, with many using the proceeds to pay for redundancies

Published with

04.12.18

Local Power

The public service gamble: Councils borrowing billions to play the property market

A four-month investigation reveals the steep rise in councils across the country racking up debt to finance real estate purchases

Published with

04.03.19

Local Power

Public spaces are being #SoldFromUnderYou: Why we are investigating the council funding crisis

Behind the Bureau's investigation into the cuts to public servants, services and spaces

Published with

05.03.19

What has your council sold? Search our map to find out

Explore the literal cost of austerity in our interactive map showing more than 12,000 public buildings and spaces sold by cash-strapped councils

Published with
More stories

Donate to the Bureau

Investigative journalism is vital for democracy. Help us to tell the stories that matter.

Got a Story?

We welcome tip-offs from the public and we always protect our sources

We tell the stories that matter. To help defend quality reporting and spark change, please support the Bureau

Donate now

The Bureau newsletter

Subscribe to the Bureau newsletter, and hear when our next story breaks.

✕

Corporations

Food and Drugs

Justice

Human Rights

PR and Spin

State Scrutiny

Bureau Local