Middlesbrough Council granted £13m in exceptional funding

Middlesbrough Council has been granted exceptional funding from the government of more than £13 million.

The additional support has been agreed in principle after the council applied for the bailout in January to avoid effective bankruptcy.

The council has a £4.7m budget gap after proposing a number of cost-cutting measures to try and balance its books. It is also proposing a 4.99% rise in council tax.

Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “This is welcome news and key to our budget setting for 2024/25.

“Subject to confirmation by the council, this authorisation from government allows us to borrow money to fund some day-to-day spending, in a way we wouldn’t otherwise be able to."

Middlesbrough Council chief executive Clive Heaphy said: “Our application to government was carefully considered and constructed and made clear that the need to have permission to borrow in this way is part of a wider plan to transform the council for the future.

“I’d like to thank officials at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for working with us and for their advice.

“We must deliver the best possible services within the resources we have available and develop our plans to make some of our most expensive services more sustainable so that the council can look to the future with more certainty.”

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