North East Council’s face funding gap of £157.1 Million

North East Councils are facing substantial funding gaps that could cause major cut backs in the next financial year.

Transcript

00:00Councils across the North East have a collective hole in their finances amounting to £157.1 million

00:06for the coming financial year according to research published by Unison.

00:09The figures were obtained using data gathered through Freedom of Information requests.

00:13Gateshead Council has the largest predicted deficit of just under £36 million,

00:18followed by Newcastle City Council with a deficit of £23.8 million

00:21and Durham County Council with £16.8 million,

00:24shortly followed by Northumberland County Council with a deficit of around £15 million

00:28and Sunderland at £11.6 million.

00:30North and South Tyneside Councils have the lowest deficit of under £10 million.

00:34The funding gap measures the difference between each council's income

00:37and the amount needed to maintain promised service levels

00:40and Unison warned that local authorities in the North East

00:43could be forced to sell land, buildings and other capital assets as well as make cutbacks.

00:48Unison's Northern Regional Secretary, Clare Williams, has said

00:52There's an unquestionable need to turn the page on the destructive cuts of the past

00:56and invest in services and staff to help councils rebuild Britain.