Extra funding for Darlington council welcomed but uncertainty remains
Labour councillor James McGill said Darlington continues to count the cost of major cuts to council funding over the last decade.
“Between 2010 and 2019, this council lost roughly £46 million per year,” he said.
“That’s nearly half a billion pounds lost from Darlington. That wasn’t an accident it was a choice.
“Half a billion pounds would be enough to fill all the potholes in Darlington, tackle homelessness, and start prevention work to support people in care. That was a choice that this council is having to deal with.”
Funding for councils next year will be boosted by more than £700 million for social care and the cost of changes to national insurance.
The provisional local government finance settlement for 2025-26 was amended to include a £200 million increase in the social care grant and a further £515 million being made available for the burden councils face.
Cllr McGill added: “We’re starting to turn a corner but there is uncertainty as to how far the funding will stretch and whether this council will exist in a few years. Cutting the council budget by such a vast amount is a decision that hasn’t benefited Darlington.”
Darlington Borough Council will receive up to £130,000 in new grants for social care – but challenges remain. The local authority currently spends a large portion of its budget on adult and children’s social care but is continually faced with rising demand.
“Like all authority areas, children’s services are in the same position,” said Cllr Mary Layton. “Hopefully, it is something that can be improved.”
The Labour government has proposed replacing the current one-year funding settlements with three-year packages in a bid to ease the uncertain futures of key council services.
Cllr Layton added: “A lot of the money is provided by one-year grants at times, and we have managed to extend some services we have provided, but we’re living on this precipice because we’re not sure if the money will be available at the end of that time.
“Officers have planned to ensure the most important services are covered. We’re all in the same boat and it’s nothing new.”
However, local Conservatives fear the Labour move won’t cure the ongoing financial challenges. Councillor Heather Scott said: “While I accept we are receiving a little more from the government the increase in national insurance and salaries is going to have a detrimental effect. At the present time, it is a complete unknown.”
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Meanwhile, the current Labour administration was criticised for again proposing a five per cent council tax increase. Cllr Scott Durham said the previous Conservative-led council had worked to reduce the need for any future increases in 2023 – but that has not been heeded by Labour.
He said: “We are now two years on and no further forward. There’s been a great opportunity missed, we’re taking on additional costs, and all we’re doing all the time is asking residents to pick up the bill.
“There will be certainty moving forward through multiple-year settlements but let’s be frank, we’re facing into economic headwind. There is no certainty. We cannot continue to let residents pick up the tab, it’s upon us to balance the budget.”