A North East council expects its cost pressures to skyrocket by more than £30m next year as local authorities battle a crippling inflation crisis.
Dire financial forecasts reveal that Newcastle City Council bosses are facing at least £30.9m worth of extra pressure on the civic centre coffers, due to factors including rising energy bills, contract inflation, and staff pay rises.
A dire briefing due to be presented to Labour councillors on Wednesday evening, a copy of which has been seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, states that some of the escalating bills will be offset by improved resources generated by grants, council tax, and business rates. But the city council is, at this stage, still facing a major budget deficit of £22.2m for the 2023/24 financial year.
