A group of MPs from County Durham has urged the government to provide “fairer funding” for the region, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
The six Labour MPs representing County Durham have signed a joint letter, calling for a better council funding deal.
In their letter, the MPs highlighted the current funding disparities between the region and other parts of the country and said “County Durham deserves better”.
Luke Akehurst (North Durham), Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham), Grahame Morris (Easington), Sam Rushworth (Bishop Auckland), Alan Strickland (Newton Aycliffe) and Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett all put their names to the plea ahead of the Autumn Budget announcement on November 26.
Durham County Council officials say the authority continues to operate in a period of significant financial uncertainty due to higher levels of inflation and increased interest rates. Services have also been impacted by escalating and sustained increases in demand for children’s social care, home-to-school transport, and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).
The council is currently awaiting announcements of future funding from the government’s Autumn Budget and the Local Government Finance Settlement in December.
The MPs write: “Since austerity began in 2010, Durham County Council has had over £270 million cut from its funding. This has forced successive administrations to do a lot more with a lot less and has seen a reduction in staff at the local authority by over 30%.
“Whilst we welcome the additional £48 million that Durham County Council received in last year’s budget, the cost pressures facing the council continue to increase.”
The fairer funding plea comes as Reform council leaders reiterated calls for more support as the authority plans its budget for the next four years.
Core Spending Power per dwelling (CSP) in County Durham is significantly below the national average, the MPs warned.
The letter added: “Bringing County Durham up to the national average would provide an additional £31.4 million per year to help to tackle the Council’s financial crisis.
“On top of lower-than-average CSP, Durham also has a much higher proportion of households residing in Council Tax bands A–C, with 83% of residents falling into this category compared to 66% nationally. This reduces the amount of revenue that any Council Tax increase generates, compared to an authority in a less deprived area with more higher-band households.
“These two facts, coupled with fourteen years of Conservative austerity, have unsurprisingly resulted in significant challenges, job losses and an overall reduction in the quality of services provided.
“County Durham deserves better. Providing financial stability and the ability to plan ahead is a great place for us to start. We must step up the pace of change for our constituents, for our county, and for our country.”
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
