The leader of the Labour opposition group on Northumberland County Council says he is 'frustrated' with Tory council leader Glen Sanderson's stance on further devolution for the North East.
In a letter to new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the council boss warned against further expansion of devolution in the region. Coun Sanderson - the only Conservative leader in the LA7 group of councils that make up the North East Combined Authority - said the current devolution settlement should be given time to "bed in" and that powers should not be "sucked up" from communities and their councils.
But Labour leader Coun Scott Dickinson MBE felt his opposite number's letter did not "accurately represent" the views of Northumberland residents. He pointed out that the election of Labour MPs in all four of the county's constituencies - for the first time in history - showed an appetite for change.
Coun Dickinson said: "Letters like this are detrimental to the working relationships in Northumberland, the business community, and the successful devolution in the North East.
“We have seen the election of the first mayor in Kim McGuinness, who has already been to number 10 and met with the PM. We need to further support that work and not cast negativity and doubt.
“This letter does not represent the view of the wider elected group on the council or the public. The recent local elections have shown that local Conservatives who fail to listen should take note.
“I would emphasis the need for change locally, positive working relationships, a more modern approach to local government, and greater powers transferred from London. I urge all that Northumberland should not miss out on the successes experienced elsewhere in the country, and don’t miss out on positive change for Northumberland in the next local elections.”
Coun Sanderson's letter came after North East mayor Kim McGuinness has called for greater powers to be devolved from national Government to her authority, including over areas such as housing and arts and culture funding. The new Government’s commitment to devolution saw existing regional mayors invited to Downing Street shortly after Labour’s General Election win, and a commitment to greater devolution to regions has been included in the King’s Speech.
Responding to Coun Dickinson's comments, Coun Sanderson said: "I'm very pleased we have got the devolution deal and I will be working hard to make sure it works.
"We need to allow the deal to bed in. I think that is a perfectly reasonable thing to say.
"The vast majority of colleagues I have spoken to agree with me. It's a very complex arrangement, bringing together councils with a mayor and it requires respect and hard work.
"We need to focus on the things in the deal - it's one of the best deals there is, Northumberland got significant benefits for the rural community and for the environment.
"I need to speak up for Northumberland. Northumberland County Council has got to put our point of view forward to a new Government."
Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community
Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone.
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
