Tory-run Hampshire council says it faces ‘financial meltdown’

Council says without help it may be forced to make drastic cuts to local services to avoid bankruptcy

One of the UK's largest Conservative-run councils has warned it faces financial meltdown" and has called on ministers to fix the broken" local government funding system to avoid it and many other authorities plunging into effective bankruptcy.

Hampshire county council said without a major overhaul of council finances in England - which it admitted was unlikely to come in time to prevent further cuts - it would be forced to push ahead with drastic reductions to local services over the next 18 months.