Council funding has also been a terrific sleight of hand. Westminster allowed councils to keep business rates in place of some central funding, so councils in areas that can generate more rates will be better off. It doesn't help that some believe that business rates are a part of the reason for declining town centres.
Council tax only makes up around 10-15% of council funding, so the public don't see the real extent of how much council funding is cut. They just see council tax rises and less services and often think there's huge amounts of money being wasted.