Failure in local government is likely to become more prevalent in the years ahead due to looming pressures, the chief executive of the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS) has warned.

Calling for a radical rethink, Jacqui McKinlay, said a discussion paper published this week by CfPS and think-tank Localis would highlight how established ways of thinking and about and addressing failure in local government – ranging from Whitehall intervention to sector-led improvement – were no longer fit-for-purpose.