Yep, central govt blames local councils, who blame central govt. You still have to pay, they still get away with charging you for stuff they didn’t provide – its a scam and you get locked up if you disagree.

Councils warn of spiralling cost of street lighting and pothole repairs due to increasing energy cost and inflation

Link: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/n

Councils are facing massive increases in costs due to spiralling inflation and the increase in energy costs, the Local Government Association (LGA) are warning today.