Councillors at Northumberland County Council approved their annual budget today (Wednesday), unlocking funding for a series of transformative projects across the county. From Berwick to Blyth and Ashington to Allendale, millions of pounds will be invested to drive investment and create jobs, tackle inequalities, all while delivering value for money to taxpayers.

Over £36 million will be spent on the county’s 3000 miles of road. Extra funding has also been set aside specifically for repairs to smaller U and C-class roads in rural areas. Following the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak granted £46 million over the next three years to deliver the Blyth Relief Road. Deputy Leader of Northumberland County Council, Richard Wearmouth called this a ‘roads and pavements budget’. He stated: “This is a bread and butter budget because we’re putting so much into fixing the things that matter to our residents.”

Despite this, there will be major investment across the county as a result of this ambitious budget. Leisure centres will receive a boost, with over £1 million at Concordia in Cramlington, £1.3 million at Willowburn in Alnwick, and nearly £800,000 for Wentworth leisure centre in Hexham. The council are also delivering 19 Playzones which will provide custom-made outdoor play areas for a range of sports and physical activities for all ages.

Earlier this year Northumberland topped the regional table for schools rated 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted. This budget will provide schools with the facilities they need to continue provide young people with a high quality education. Over £42.5 million is being invested in schools in the Seaton Valley, over £47.5 million for Berwick Partnership schools and nearly £35 million for schools in the Coquet Partnership. Almost £16 million has been made available to increase the number of places for students with special educational needs.

Investment in high streets will ensure residents have town centres they can be proud of. The council is responsible for allocating nearly £45 million for a range of levelling up projects, including an overhaul of the town centre and market place, housing, education, and transformative work at Energy Central. Over £30 million was granted to finance the long overdue renovation of Ashington town centre. Elsewhere in the South East, Bedlington town centre received £1.2 million, and in the north Berwick will receive over £20 million for the work that is underway at the Maltings.

Earlier this year Northumberland Conservatives announced our digital plan to ensure that everyone in Northumberland can stay connected and get online. Already, more than 1,000 "hard-to-reach" homes and businesses in some of the most rural parts of the county have been connected to high-speed, full fibre broadband. This budget will allow us to go further, with £2.7 million for Community Fibre and £2.3 million to replace the county’s ageing digital infrastructure.

Overall, this budget has something for everyone in the county and will deliver on Northumberland Conservatives’ aim of driving investment and creating jobs, tackling inequalities, while delivering value for money to taxpayers. The leader of Northumberland County Council, Cllr Glen Sanderson said:

“I’m very proud of this budget and grateful for the support our proposals have had.  

“We’ve protected the services and issues that people tell us matter the most – from free carparking in our towns, more emphasis on climate change and our environment, and continued investment in public toilets and leisure centres. 

“We’re attracting more Government funding than ever before which is being invested in town centre regeneration across the county, new schools and hugely important schemes such as the Northumberland Line, which will open later this year. 

“And although it’s been a relatively mild winter, the amount of rainfall has affected our highways and this budget includes £36 million in funding to maintain the county’s roads. We’ve also set extra funding aside specifically for repairs to smaller U and C-class roads in rural areas. 

“Of course we must act responsibly so that we can invest in the county’s future, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. At the same time we have not touched our General Fund reserves and do not intend to.

“Wherever possible we’ll be working more efficiently and using technology where needed to do things the best way we can.  

"Our three key priorities remain - to give value for money to our residents, to drive investment and jobs, and to tackle Inequalities. These will continue to be set in stone going forward. 

“Of course all this wouldn’t be possible without our staff who work every day to provide first class services and I want to pay tribute to the commitment and excellence they bring to our county year in year out.”