Northumberland Labour leader Scott Dickinson has paid tribute to Northumberland County Council staff and voluntary groups’ response to Storm Arwen and its aftermath.

He said: “Council workers have gone above and beyond to keep people safe and it’s clear that Northumberland’s community spirit is alive and well. However we know some people feel let down and not supported. We need to know about that to try and make thing better, should this happen again.

“While we know the power companies were also working flat out, questions have to be asked about their capacity to deal with this sort of event. The culture of work in 2021 is there is little or no slack to deal with the unexpected.

“We want to listen to local people and find out how it has been for them, their families and their colleagues. It’s only by listening we can learn lessons for the future.”

If you would like to tell Labour what your experience has been, good and bad, please email Nlandlabour@gmail.com.