The Least Deprived Neighbourhoods in Northumberland report illustrates how hard the Council must work to remedy problems.

 

2021 Census data shared with the public has been used to show how much deprivation or how little deprivation areas across England have within their bounds.

This data should be used by Councils to plan where society and investment in that society should be steered and funded.

The local newspaper the Northumberland Gazette ran out very well written articles which explained the census data and where both the most deprived and least deprived neighbourhoods are across the Council’s areas of responsibility. The data covers households and not people but in their latest report covering almost a third of households under the title of least deprived neighbourhoods the number of deprived home
s in those areas is staggering. 

This data does not cover the current period of crisis and raging inflation with the growing poverty and lack of reliance neighbourhoods have when exposed to long term periods of austerity, it is a snapshot in time during 2021 but the information it contains shows how hard the road ahead is for people and how much work Councils and Councillors must put in to help bolster society over the coming decade to show improvement.

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/people/the-least-deprived-neighbourhoods-of-northumberland-according-to-the-2021-census-3936000

Neighbourhoods                    Least Deprived%                            Deprived%

Longhorsley	63.8	36.2
Capheaton	63.8	36.2
Hepscott	63.8	36.2
Morpeth South	61.4	38.6
Morpeth West	61.4	38.6
Darras Hall	60.4	39.6
Stamford	60.4	39.6
Heddon	60.4	39.6
Ponteland	58.4	41.6
Stocksfield	57.1	42.9
Riding Mill	57.1	42.9
Corbridge	57.1	42.9
Longhoughton	56.6	43.4
Alnmouth	56.6	43.4
Wylam	56.6	43.4
Ovingham	56.6	43.4
Blyth South	55.8	44.2
Haydon Bridge	55.5	44.5
Allendale	55.5	44.5
Cramlington North	54.3	45.7
Cramlington East	54.3	45.7
Hexham	52.4	47.6
Acomb	52.4	47.6
Longframlington	52.2	47.8
Rothbury	52.2	47.8
Blyth Newsham	52	48
Bellingham	51.5	48.5
Otterburn	51.5	48.5
Redesdale	51.5	48.5
Bedlington Town	51.3	48.7
Morpeth North	51.3	48.7
Pegswood	51.3	48.7
Berwick Upon Tweed	50.8	49.2
Holy Island	50.8	49.2
Prudhoe	49.5	50.5
Amble	49.4	50.6
Swarland	49.4	50.6
Shilbottle	49.4	50.6
Belford	48.6	51.4
Seahouses	48.6	51.4
Wooler	48.6	51.4
Cramlington South	48.5	51.5

 

Northumberland County Secret Council Budget

 

Public and opposition Councillors not involved, rumours regarding huge sums moved to a 'farming review', economic crisis and its effects on families, job retention, service delivery and workers not debated.

The long standing arrangements for budget setting at Northumberland County Council which included public debate at Local Area Committee meetings countywide where the public can air their views on cuts, cash division, localism, poverty and service reorganisations including how services will be delivered in the medium term were removed from this year's local agendas. Instead the Council is holding a full council meeting at its vast, empty, expensive to run and recently flooded County Hall in Morpeth to nod through a budget that will deliver ever more secrecy on how the detrimental rundown of services to the public will be managed.

This reputationally damaging sudden change of accepted policy follows on from the Leader of Council, Councillor Glen Sandersons brag that he is cutting the wages bill by £1,000,000 from his management structure and seeking to lower the wages and costs bill of the Council by seeking an additional 400 redundancies which will kickstart his bragging rights over full compliance with his Governments 'Austerity 2' program

Our latest view around well connected Tory social media has brought up Councillor Sandersons wish to shift cash savings towards a review of farming in Northumberland following his Government's inability to manage post brexit subsidies to encourage greater levels of food production. It appears his urban centred Councillors including members of the 'Morpeth Mob' fear the backlash from this review will be detrimental to them on the doorsteps, but were sure it will be kept as secret as ever by the fractured Conservative group he manages with public cash who just like the sheep that will feature in his review will baa baa his budget through at the Council meeting.

This new higher level of secrecy from Northumberland Conservatives has denied opposition Councillors the opportunity to listen to the public debate and receive the information share required by all Councillors regarding the budget in a timely fashion. This disgraceful action has closed off the opportunity for alternative budgets to be formed that can consider the dire circumstances many people and their families find themselves in and how the tsunami effects of Councillor Sandersons slash-backs will affect them and how they will suffer during 2023 and beyond.

The Tories new change of direction is also very concerning to Parish Councils many of whom have taken on extra service delivery contracts with the County Council to to keep the 'Clean and Green' face of the County up to scratch as County Council budgets diminish through Governments easy option of hacking down Councils to shift cash onto levelling up infrastructure projects to falsely look as if they are delivering something to the public. Parish Councils also have to form their budgets without the complete service model knowledge of the Counties medium term future being revealed to them publicly so that they can be open with their public in a way the Conservatives in power don't fancy at all, 'because it's a secret'!.