The (onshore) wind beneath our wings | Why caring for vulnerable children could force councils to go bust
Play • 42 min

The way our town halls are funded is "broken", say local leaders, with those in the North suffering as a result of an unfair system.

There's a particularly stark example of the situation facing our local leaders in the town of Middlesbrough. One of the most deprived places in the country, its ability to turn things around is being hampered by the spiralling costs to the taxpayer of looking after vulnerable children.

It's not a Labour politician making this claim, but Mieka Smiles, the Conservative deputy mayor of Middlesbrough. Rob Parsons spoke to her about how town halls face effectively going bust because of the cost of children's services.

And as efforts continue to find clean ways to produce energy and create jobs into the bargain, Sam Richards from the pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade tells us how in one region of the North there's overwhelming support for onshore wind turbines.


***


The Northern Agenda is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Rob Parsons, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin.

You can subscribe to the daily Northern Agenda newsletter here: http://www.thenorthernagenda.co.uk/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More episodes
Search
Clear search
Close search
Google apps
Main menu