Spending the public precept on another Councils statutory duty, Is it lawful?

Section 137 of the 1972 local government act covers the expenditure of money by a Parish Council for work it has no responsibility towards. The expenditure is capped and a decision of full council after taking advice from their ‘proper officer’ is required. (National Association of Local Council’s advice).

In the case of Cramlington Town Council a Tory led parish in Northumberland, they have sensationally taken on the statutory duty for the care and wellbeing of children in need to supply meals to children who qualify for free school meals, a function of its overarching Tory led Unitary Council (Northumberland County Council) whose leader Councillor Glen Sanderson has flatly refused to assist with funding at this time when his Council has been placed under emergency powers of Covid level 2 where help from relatives for children in need is greatly reduced to protect other vulnerable people from transmission of the disease

The County Council under similar Local Government Acts has the role of Governance through an emergency, as well as the responsibility for services to children along with powers to intervene if the care and wellbeing of children is at risk, (hunger is a real risk for children), a Parish does not and the County Council can raise finance to cover the matters at hand. Here at Murky we very much doubt whether Councillor Sanderson understands his powers and that even the most stringent auditor would balance the needs of hungry children against the needs to maintain reserves of cash in times when such unusual circumstances prevail.

We expect that the Tories on Cramlington Parish Council most of whom are also County Councillors will tell the public today the level of capped finance they can lawfully spend to support their colleagues on the County Council, as they must and then continue disclosure and inform the residents of Cramlington how much they will be forcing up their precepts. Many Parishes budgeted for events and other public matters and will be able to lower local taxes next year when the unemployment level in Cramlington is expected by DWP to be the highest in Northumberland. Or is it that they would like to see the families of those they are helping today suffer debt problems next year?

Twin Hatted Councillors on Cramlington Town council need to ensure that Councillor Sanderson’s responsibilities are hghlited to him and that he instructs his officers to help the kids in his County and not let them as in Dickensian time ‘fall on the Parish’.