Council budget is only going to get tighter, it is warned
The councillor responsible for the county’s budget has warned that whoever is in charge following elections in May will have to deal with a ‘horrendous’ situation.
At Monday night’s meeting of the north area committee, council leader Jeff Reid, deputy leader Roger Styring and executive member for corporate resources Andrew Tebbutt presented a ‘state of the area’ update.
Couns Reid and Styring emphasised that the key priorities for the council, chief among them growing the county’s economy, remained the same.
But Coun Tebbutt outlined just how severe the financial situation facing the council is now and for the coming years.
The county council has already cut £100million from its budget since 2009 and another £86million is set to be cut over the next three years, with £23million coming in 2013/14.
It means that the council’s revenue budget for next year is £467million, but around two-thirds of that is ring-fenced for education and adult services.
As it stands, around £200million of that money is the Dedicated Schools Grant which goes directly to the schools themselves.
Coun Tebbutt said: “I will not comment on the years 2014/15 and 2015/16, other than to say it looks horrendous.
“Whoever forms the administration will have a real job on their hands.”
The capital budget for the next three financial years is around £314million.
The full council meeting on the 2013/14 budget will take place on Wednesday, February 27.
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Weather for Northumberland
Thursday 23 May 2013
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