Councillor Lynne Grimshaw believes things need to be done rapidly to stop us slipping into recession.

 Councillor Lynne Grimshaw is concerned that the lack of help through the levelling up funds, also what she sees as a close down of opportunity for many young people and the Dutch Bank ING reporting a slow down and predicted fallback in the economy during the summer months will lead us into recession, increasing pressure on the voluntary sector to fill the gaps that could be plugged by Northumberland County Council.

Industry analyst Make UK ran a survey recently and found that 36% of North-East manufacturers said they were not aware of the Governments levelling up initiatives or are not satisfied with its progress, with the Community Renewal Fund being cited as ‘Invisible’ to some. With only 48% of Covid Relief Funds being distributed and only tiny amounts of Additional Covid Relief funds being passed on to companies by Councils Councillor Grimshaw believes that: “Recession is much closer than we think to becoming a reality and Council’s like Northumberland County Council need to ensure they seek out companies who can benefit from this universal help and save jobs that will slip out of our local North-East economies if the ING bank's predictions are correct and help isn’t forthcoming to local firms”.

She went on to say: “I also believe the student debt scenario will drive cash from our local economy as well as lowering opportunity and probably breaking the dreams of many young people from poorer backgrounds and postcodes”.

“Both the Government and Councils need to pull out all the stops and grow up and whilst doing so they need to scrap the centralised doling out from pots and get regional development agencies restarted”. “as the neighbour of Scotland sharing a 200 mile long border we in Northumberland can see the brilliant effect the retention of RDA’s have on society North of the Border and we who dwell North of Hadrian's Wall would like some of that as well, as during periods of depression and recession those areas in Scotland covered by RDA’s fair far better than we do”. 

”A simple look around at how little people have in their shopping baskets locally will tell you how hard life is becoming for local folk and food banks are not the answer in the longer term”. “Councils can help if they locate the will but infighting among the Conservative administration at County Hall means that the will is often hidden behind the political maneuvering.”