What are the benefits for Northumberland?
The aim of the newly structured, modern council will be to get the best for
all of Northumberland’s communities by:
Making the best possible use of taxpayers’ money
- Savings of approximately £17 million per year are expected, which means
more money can be spent on improving services.
- Bringing council tax down to the current lowest level across the county;
this will mean that residents in five out of six districts pay less.
Better Customer Service
- A new organisation where customer service is the key priority and duplication
is minimised.
- Sharing and pooling of “common knowledge”, skills and expertise of staff
into one approachable new organisation.
- Allowing people to access high all their council services through a local
single doorway – whether it is by phone, email or face to face.
- More working across services to deliver joint goals – enabling people to
reach their potential and providing quality environments.
Raising standards of service and living
- Removing layers of bureaucracy and duplication will create savings and mean
that more money can be spent on services.
- Capability to produce joined up responses to tackle issues and challenges
Ensuring everyone gets fair treatment and equal opportunity
- All residents will receive the same high levels of “universal” services across
the county.
Putting communities at the heart of local democracy and giving residents
a real say in what matters
- Residents and partners, such as parish councils and community groups, will be
involved at a very local level through 27 community forums.
Working effectively with partners to achieve shared goals
- A unitary council will ensure that Northumberland has one strong, influential
voice regionally and nationally – able to lobby over key issues.
Putting sustainability at the centre of all that we do and ensuring the
county’s resilience to climate change
