Northamptonshire County Council bans spending over budget fears

A cash-strapped Tory-run council has imposed emergency spending controls after warning it faces a "severe financial challenge".Northamptonshire County Council is the first local authority in nearly 20 years to issue a section 114 notice, which bans all new expenditure apart from statutory services for safeguarding vulnerable people.The council said it had taken the decision because there is a "significant risk" it will not be able to deliver a balanced budget by the end of the year, which is req