Northumberland Labour calls for damp and mould prevention work on council houses to be brought forward

The proposal, put forward as an amendment to the budget, comes after the release of a highly critical report on the council’s housing stock.

The party saw heavy losses in last year’s local elections and is now Northumberland’s third largest group behind the Conservatives and Reform.

It has put forward several amendments to the Tory budget, including clearer and more transparent reporting on budget cuts and changes to the way in which reserves are used.

Speaking ahead of the budget meeting on Wednesday, the leader of Northumberland Labour Coun Scott Dickinson said: “This Conservative budget balances the books in the short term, but too often relies on sticking plasters rather than tackling the causes of rising costs.

“Our amendments are about prevention, fairness and transparency – investing earlier, being honest about the impact of decisions and planning properly for the future.

“We don’t need more fine words describing risks we already know about. We need decisions that reduce those risks and stop today’s problems becoming tomorrow’s crises.”

The budget is set to go before the council later today (Wednesday). The budget proposed by the Tories includes a maximum rise in council tax as well as an increase to council house rents and various fees and charges for services.

Savings of £18.5million have also been proposed, with the leadership hoping to avoid cuts to frontline services and compulsory redundancies. The lead-up to the budget meeting has seen frequent clashes between Labour and the Conservatives over the level of funding provided by the Government.

Labour say their amendments would not increase overall spending or require new funding. Instead, they “focus on how existing resources are prioritised and reported”.

The key changes include:

• ‘A preventative approach to damp and mould in council homes, by bringing forward energy efficiency and ventilation works to reduce repeat repairs, tenant complaints and future regulatory risk. This will further reassure residents following the recent C4 rating from the regulator but it is also the right thing to do.’

• ‘Greater transparency around savings and transformation programmes, including clearer public reporting on efficiencies and their impact on services and equality.’

• ‘Fairness and affordability testing of fees and charges to ensure the cumulative impact on households is properly understood before residents are asked to pay more.’

• ‘A more strategic use of council reserves, prioritising early intervention and demand reduction rather than repeated short-term budget smoothing.’

• ‘Clearer reporting on SEND finances, reflecting recent national changes and ensuring members, parents and carers have an accurate understanding of the council’s financial position.’

Responding to the proposals, Northumberland County Council’s cabinet member for finance, Coun Nick Oliver, said: “We’re always happy to consider amendments from other groups, but we’d urge the Northumberland Labour group to give us a little more notice next time.

“Their proposals were delivered at 3.30pm the day before the budget debate and we’re busy looking at them now.”