THE leader of Northumberland Labour has welcomed Government plans to increase council funding.

Cllr Scott Dickinson, the leader of the council’s opposition group, backed plans to introduce a real-terms 3.2 per cent boost for councils in England. The Government say the new system will also be “fairer” and match “funding with need”.

Cllr Dickinson believed the prioritisation of areas in need would see councils like Northumberland County Council receive more cash. However, leading members of the Conservative administration warned last week that the reforms would not prevent an increase in council tax next year.

Cllr Dickinson said: “This is great news for Northumberland. Labour hasn’t just announced more support for councils – a 3.2 per cent real terms boost – the government is also reforming council funding to ensure that areas like ours get a fairer share of support. 

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“Going forward, Labour’s plans to give councils multi-year settlements isn’t just an accounting issue – it will mean councils like ours have the ability to plan for the future, and ensure that we best use our resources to provide as much help to local people as possible. Councils have been crying out for sensible reforms like these for years – and now Labour will deliver where the Tories failed.”

“It will take time for Labour to fix the foundations of a country that the Conservatives left broke and broken, but change has begun – and through today’s announcement we can be sure that means more support for the people in Northumberland who really need it.”

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, under the previous Conservative Government, councils’ overall funding fell 9% in real terms and were 18 per cent lower in real terms per person.

Last year, Northumberland Labour pointed out that the Conservative Government had cut funding to the area by £130.18 million in real terms since 2010.

The Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 includes a new £600 million Recovery Grant for areas most in need, an increase to the Social Care Grant by £680 million, a new £250 million Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant. The county council is currently facing significant overspends in both adults and children’s care costs due to spiralling demand.

In September, council leader Glen Sanderson warned the local authority was being pushed into an “unsustainable” position, having spent an overspent on adult’s and children’s care by £50 million over the last five years and with an additional £6.8 million overspend anticipated this financial year alone.