The local authorityCouncil · Unitary · England · 1 of 63 unitary authorities

Northumberland.

Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled unitary. £417m net revenue. 66 wards across 4 parliamentary constituencies.

TypeUnitary
Seats67 councillors · 66 wards
Last election6 May 2021
Websitenorthumberland.gov.uk
Net revenue · 2025-26
£417m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,465
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
34/67
Conservative and Unionist Party 51%
Westminster
4
constituencies overlap · 1 MP party
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Conservative and Unionist Party chamber, opposed area.

Northumberland is a unitary controlled by Conservative and Unionist Party (34 of 67 seats). Net revenue is £417m for 2025-26. It covers 66 wards spanning 4 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.67 seats · last contested 6 May 2021

Who sits in the chamber.

Con 34Lab 21Independent Berwick Hills Resident 7LD 3Green 2

Conservative and Unionist Party 51% · last contested 6 May 2021

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Gordon CastleConAlnwick2021
Martin Philip SwinbankGrnAlnwick2021
Terry ClarkLabAmble2021
Jeff WatsonConAmble West With Warkworth2021
Caroline BallLabAshington Central2021
Guy Renner-ThompsonConBamburgh2021
Christine Anne TaylorIndBedlington Central2021
Rebecca WilczekLabBedlington East2021
Malcolm RobinsonIndBedlington West2021
John Robert RiddleConBellingham2021
Georgina Emma Rowley HillIndBerwick East2021
Catherine Morag SeymourConBerwick North2021
Showing 12 of 67·All 67 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

59%
Council tax
£247.6m · median 59%
30%
Central grants
£124.2m · median 30%
11%
Business rates
£44.9m · median 11%

Revenue mix is close to the unitary authorities median: 59% council tax, 30% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£2,171
County / upper-tier£0
Police£196
Fire & rescue£0
GLA precept£0
Parish average£98
Total Band-D£2,465

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.11 buckets · vs 62 other unitary authorities

How does Northumberland split its revenue across services, compared with peer unitary authoritie-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Education38.3% of net spend · cohort median 36%
22 of 61+7% vs median
Adult Social Care25.9% of net spend · cohort median 27%
43 of 61-5% vs median
Children's Services12.8% of net spend · cohort median 15%
45 of 61-13% vs median
Waste & Recycling5.9% of net spend · cohort median 6%
27 of 61+3% vs median
Corporate & Central4.4% of net spend · cohort median 3%
7 of 61+55% vs median
Protective Services3.7% of net spend · cohort median 4%
2 of 30% vs median
Public Health3.4% of net spend · cohort median 4%
34 of 61-7% vs median
Culture & Leisure2.2% of net spend · cohort median 2%
30 of 61+2% vs median
Highways & Transport2.2% of net spend · cohort median 3%
40 of 61-16% vs median
Housing & Homelessness1.1% of net spend · cohort median 2%
54 of 61-45% vs median
Planning & Economic Development0.1% of net spend · cohort median 1%
59 of 61-89% vs median
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 04Top suppliers.24,467 payments · £65.0m gross · 2 Mar 202631 Mar 2026

Every invoice over £500, published under the Local Government Transparency Code. Best-effort, not statutory — counts and totals net negatives (refunds/reversals).

Top by total — last 180 days

SupplierPaidSharePmts
KIER CONSTRUCTION NORTH AND SCOTLAND£3.44m5.3%3
NORTHUMBERLAND ENERGY RECOVERY LTD£2.45m3.8%2
HARROGATE AND DISTRICT NHS FOUNDATION TRUST£1.77m2.7%3
SPECIALIST COMPUTER CENTRES PLC£1.52m2.3%55
TYNE AND WEAR FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY£1.26m1.9%3
ARRIVA NORTHUMBRIA LIMITED£1.14m1.7%116
ISSAC LIMITED£1.00m1.5%225
NORTHUMBERLAND CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY£0.98m1.5%66
MORGAN SINDALL CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED£0.95m1.5%11
FLEXIBLE SUPPORT OPTIONS£0.93m1.4%193

By service area · top supplier

ServiceTop supplierPaid
Corporate And CentralKIER CONSTRUCTION NORTH AND SCOTLAND£3.44m
EducationNORTHUMBERLAND CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY£0.85m
Highways And TransportEDF ENERGY LIMITED£0.33m
Housing And HomelessnessJ W PETERS JOINERY AND BUILDING CONTRACTORS£0.06m
Childrens ServicesCOMENSURA LIMITED£0.05m
§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.66 wards split across 4 parliamentary seats
ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Blyth and Ashington2132% Ian LaveryLab
Hexham1827% Joe MorrisLab
North Northumberland1827% David SmithLab
Cramlington and Killingworth914% Emma FoodyInd
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 62 other unitary authorities
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
24,467 payments · 2 Mar 202631 Mar 2026
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level