Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour councillors of leaving a flagship local authority with a £137 million budget shortfall, while claiming ministers have simultaneously cut its funding by 40 per cent. The Conservative leader's intervention frames the local authority's financial troubles as evidence of mismanagement by Labour figures locally, combined with what she characterises as inadequate support from the Labour government nationally.

The article text supplied does not contain further reported detail beyond the headline claim, such as which council is involved, the timeframe for the funding reduction, or a response from Labour representatives. As such, this summary is limited to the core allegation set out in the headline: a £137 million gap in the council's budget, attributed by Badenoch to Labour councillors' handling of local finances alongside a 40 per cent reduction in central government funding.