Northumberland council leader pleads with Government for more funding ahead of budget

Cllr Glen Sanderson said inflation was putting huge pressure on County Hall’s coffers, but pledged to continue to deliver on his administration’s key priorities.

He also repeated his insistence that he would do “all he could” to prevent compulsory redundancies among council staff – but once again did not rule it out.

His comments came as he gave a presentation on the council’s current financial situation ahead of the setting of the coming year’s budget.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of the Ashington and Blyth Local Area Council, he said: “The priorities are all around doing what we can within the money we have got.

“I continue to make the case to Government for sustainable funding, as I have done a lot with all council leaders. If they want roads that work, there has got to be money in the system.

“We don’t have enough money from central Government. That’s very frustrating. Inflation has risen and there is not enough money to deal with that. On my watch, I don’t want there to be any compulsory redundancies. I can’t guarantee that.”

Cllr Sanderson also discussed some of the financial pressures facing the council. This included the increasing number of children with special educational needs – in particular costs of their schooling and transport to school, which often requires taxis.

Despite the challenges faced, he maintained that the upcoming budget would be a good one – and urged Labour opposition members to back his plans.

He continued: “I know we bash each other up at budget time, but I would like to think we have tried our very best to keep all members involved. We may not have the cheapest council tax, but we are providing a lot for people, whether it is leisure, schools or free car parking. That’s all part of the deal.

“If we can show we have made a difference in tackling inequalities, that will be comfort for me – and all of us, I’m sure. I hope we’re pretty much all on the same page.”

Cllr Sanderson was making the first of several such presentations across the county. The final budget will go to full council for approval in February.

But former Liberal Democrat council leader Jeff Reid said: “Where in this presentation is the administration saying we’re putting up council tax and the adult social care precept? The first page says this is the medium term financial plan, but this is a shallow dive into something that deserves a deep dive.

“If you had said this is the financial problems we have got, and this is how we’re going to get out of it – it would be good for you to treat us like adults. To me, this is meaningless.”

Cllr Sanderson dismissed Cllr Reid’s words as “balderdash”.

He added: “This is not a budget meeting. This is to present an outline in a public meeting – it’s to explain where we are and some of the pressures we have to face.

“We haven’t done the budget, it is not completed. We’re still in the consultation phase. We haven’t decided a council tax rise.”