Northumberland’s Labour group has said that investing in public services, people and business will be the way to recover from the Covid pandemic.

Leader Susan Dungworth said: “Because the government did not take the pandemic seriously, it locked down too late and lifted restrictions too early, the country and here in Northumberland people have been affected in the worst way possible with businesses closing and people losing jobs and livelihoods.

“The UK has had the worst recession of any major economy, and is on course for one of the slowest recoveries in the world. Securing the economy will be a priority for Labour in 2021 to protect families and support businesses. Labour’s priorities will be the priorities of the British people.

“We will work tirelessly to secure a Labour-led council in Northumberland which will put the needs of its residents first. However 10 years of drastic cuts had left our county in a fragile state, even before Covid hit us. The government’s constant late actions and u-turns have made things worth and resulted in losses, many of which were avoidable.

“To enable Northumberland to recover we need investment in housing, jobs and services, support for businesses and support for individuals and families. This is what we pledge to deliver.”