Reform leader labels County Durham MPs ‘liars or imbeciles’

Durham County Council said it will receive £51.4 million across three years as part of the latest local government funding settlement, despite claims from regional MPs that £170 million has been awarded. 

The money is designed to improve the local authority’s core spending power and can be used to pay for services like bin collections, housing and children’s services.

But Reform council leaders said much of the funding will be spent on responding to current budget overspends.

Responding to the funding announcement, council leader Andrew Husband told a cabinet meeting: “The funding reforms themselves are not particularly fair – false advertising.

“They do little to address 16 years of neglect and do not come from an angle of assessing whether local government is fairly funded in the first place. They merely spread the jam in a slightly different way, papering over the cracks. 

“It is very disingenuous for the government to suggest that they have given us a 27 per cent increase in funding for the people of County Durham when they expect the people to fund this increase themselves through their council tax bills. 

“It’s such a shame that our local Labour MPs have told fibs of this scale on the settlement. They are either liars or imbeciles.”

The funding is part of the new multi-year funding settlement, which sets out local government finances for the three years up to 2029. 

Luke Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham, said: “This is a turning point, a chance to turn the page on a decade of cuts and callousness, and for local leaders to invest in getting back what has been lost – to bring back libraries, youth services, clean streets, and community hubs.

“For too long, deprived communities were left behind. We’re ending the postcode lottery so  everyone can access the services their community deserves.”

But Reform said the funding figures are also reliant on council tax being increased by the maximum five per cent next year.

Cllr Husband added: “It is looking increasingly likely that we will have little option but to raise council tax by 3.1 per cent, well below the five per cent the Government assumed we would have to raise it by and below the rate of inflation – the first time the council has done so in so many years. 

“I expect this figure to be a lot lower than many of our neighbouring councils and one of the lowest across Reform UK and the country”. 

The settlement also includes other changes, including letting councils keep all additional council tax from new homes to encourage local growth and home ownership.

An updated funding system will also be introduced, the Government announced, which aims to make more money available for areas with the greatest need. 

A Labour spokesperson said: “We’ll take no lectures from Cllr Husband on finances, after he left his businesses owing £1.5 million.

“His party promised they’d cut the people of Durham’s taxes, all they’ve done so far is cut support for the most vulnerable, and now are raising taxes for everyone else.

“This is a huge moment for local government funding. With Labour, funding will once again be linked to deprivation. This is the difference Labour in local government working hand in hand with the national government can make.”

Cllr Husband previously defended his position after businesses he formerly owned owe thousands of pounds in unpaid tax and wages.