A COUNCIL leader has written to the Government calling for a fairer financial deal for his town.

Cllr Christopher Akers-Belcher says Government spending power cuts over the last five years have had a disproportionate impact on Hartlepool.

Over this period, Hartlepool Borough Council’s spending power has been cut by £313 per person – more than twice the national average of £131.

As a result the council leader is seeking a fairer deal for the town ahead of the Government’s next Spending Review, the details of which are due to be announced in November.

He said: “This is not a party political matter and we are not asking the Government to turn back the clock or to not make any further cuts in council funding.

“However, we do feel very strongly that there should be a fairer distribution of the total level of Government support. This proposal would ensure that all councils play a part in helping to balance the public finances and end the current perverse situation where some of the poorest areas of the country are being hit hardest by funding cuts.”

Cllr Akers-Belcher has sent a letter to the Government supporting a proposal put forward by Birmingham City Council that would see local authorities share the burden of future funding cuts as a percentage of their overall net budgets.

If this approach had been adopted in 2015/16 every local authority would have seen a 6.7 per cent reduction in Government funding, leaving Hartlepool £2.5m better off.