Cut-hit councils are going broke. Let them charge however much they like | Polly Toynbee

The government should shed its Brexit paralysis and stem the escalating crisis. Reform of council funding must come quickly

The wonder is that it's taken so long for councils to tumble over the cliff. This is their eighth year of brutal cuts, while the cost of caring for frail elderly people and needy children sky-rockets.

The Daily Mail's front page on Thursday blasts away at councils for a "thumping rise in council tax" of 6%, with nine out of 10 councils set to burst their budgets. They quote the TaxPayers' Alliance calling for councils to "step up a war on wasteful spending". The real war has been central versus local government.

Related: Council tax rises on the way as local authorities try to stay afloat

Take the cap off council tax for higher-value properties, which have not been revalued since 1991

Related: Northamptonshire's cash crisis is a taste of things to come for councils | Patrick Butler