How a decade of austerity has squeezed council budgets in England

Analysis of 13 years of data shows why there are more potholes and fewer libraries and swimming pools

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More potholes on the roads, fewer bus services, and libraries and leisure centres shutting their doors for good: the evidence of squeezed local government budgets has been growing across England for more than a decade.

An exclusive Guardian analysis of 13 years of council data has detailed how local spending patterns have changed under austerity budgets. Between 2010-11 and 2022-23, net spending per person on cultural services was cut by 43% in real terms, on roads and transport spending by 40%, on housing by 35% and on planning and development by a third - with more cuts pencilled in for this year.