Soaring demand, rising pay bills and inflationary costs are making it ‘virtually impossible' to keep councils going, a senior chief executive has said. 

In an exclusive interview with The MJ, Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan said: ‘The next Government, whoever wins, has a choice as to whether they allow us to continue on the path we are on… or to realign our budgets to suit the job we have been asked to do.'