NORTH-EAST political leaders have vowed to highlight the impact on the region's vulnerable of cuts to local government.
Members of the Association of North East Councils (Anec) and North-East MPs met on Friday to discuss the proposed council funding settlements for the next two years.
The meeting heard that the Government was proposing an extra £1bn of cuts to the core grant funding for services – bringing the cash reduction in core funding in 2015/16 to £3.1bn as opposed to the £2.1bn, or 10 per cent cut, announced in the spending review.
Hilary Knox, deputy chief executive of Anec, said: “What we are facing is a real terms 25 per cent cut in core over the next two years.
“Precisely at a time when people are looking to councils during this period of economic difficulty, cuts to local government are on an unprecedented scale and the delivery of vital public services are at a point of being seriously threatened.”
At the meeting, politicians committed to highlight Anec evidence and analysis which demonstrated the impact of the cuts on people and communities in the region.
They will also lobby to ensure that the cuts that are proposed are made fairly around the country.
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