Examining the plight of the North's hard-pressed town halls | Takeaways from the Conservative Party Conference

After decades of austerity cuts, an ever-increasing pressure to provide for the needs of an ageing population, and 18 months of reduced income and increased costs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Northern Agenda examines the plight of the North's hard-pressed town halls.And with party conference season wrapping up, the podcast also looks at the takeaways from the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this week.Host Rob Parsons is joined by Financial Times Whitehall editor Seb Payne and Rachel Wearmouth, senior political correspondent at the Daily Mirror, as they reflect on Boris Johnson's speech at the Tory gathering, and whether the government will deliver on their levelling up agenda.Local Democracy Reporter Richard Beecham also chats to Rob about the impact cuts to local services have had in Yorkshire's biggest city: Leeds.And while Lancashire County Council deputy leader Alan Vincent tells Rob that he does not believe the cuts have been felt by 'the man on the street', Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes chats to Westminster correspondent Dan O'Donoghue about the visible and invisible impact they have made to the city.The Northern Agenda podcast is presented by Rob Parsons and Dan O'Donoghue, and it is produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. It is a Laudable production for Reach.Don't forget to subscribe to the daily Northern Agenda newsletter here: http://www.thenorthernagenda.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices