Conservative-led Northumberland County Council facing calls for 'honesty' on Government funding
The leader of Northumberland Labour has criticised the Conservative-led administration at the county council of misleading the public over council funding.
Coun Scott Dickinson MBE called on the Tories to be "honest" with residents after senior Conservative councillors said the amount they had received from Government was less than expected. The council saw an increase of more than £20 million in funding, while schools are set to receive an additional £24.6 million.
It comes as tensions rise between the two parties ahead of local elections in May. It is the first time voters in the county will head to the polls since 2021, with the Tories having been the largest party since 2017.
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Council leader Glen Sanderson claimed his administration had been hopeful of cutting council tax if the settlement from Government had been larger. However, Coun Dickinson pointed out that further rises had already been pencilled in as part of last year's budget.
The 2024/25 budget states that the council's medium term financial plan included a 2.99% increase in council tax in 2025/26, as well as 1.99% per year until 2028. The budget also showed that the council expected to receive £170 million in this year's settlement from Government, rather than the £190 million they received in reality.
Coun Dickinson said: "This is seriously desperate from the Conservatives at County Hall. I urge them not to mislead residents any further and to refrain from damaging the reputation of the Council and the dedicated staff who work there.
"The Conservatives should be honest with the people of Northumberland, their budget always predicted raises in council tax. This is not something that has been brought about by the new funding settlement.
"They should take this opportunity to present a positive and truthful picture, fostering a good working relationship with the new Government and focusing on the needs of Northumbrians during the short time they have left."
Speaking on Local Government finance, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “For too long councils have been let down by an outdated and inefficient funding system which has led to public services creaking and taxpayers’ money not being spent efficiently.
“Whilst there’s no magic wand to fix what we’ve inherited, we’re taking the necessary steps to fix the foundations of local government by creating a fairer system and ensuring every penny is spent on the services so many people rely on every day.”
Responding to Coun Dickinson's comments, the council's deputy leader Coun Richard Wearmouth said: "What Labour give with one hand, they take with the other.
"Whilst the amount of funds provided to the council has increased as it does every year the costs have rocketed. Like countless Northumberland businesses the council has huge additional costs due to the Labour Governments increase in National Insurance charges - for NCC the cost is over £4m.
"Amongst others there are £4.5m costs in extra responsibilities for waste collection and recycling, and £5.5m of additional costs associated with pay increases agreed with the unions. The government has also removed the rural services delivery grant worth £3.2m to Northumberland and given it to other councils instead.
"The net result is that the council is worse off by about £2.5m."