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Winter road repairs cost county an extra £1m
THE worst winter in at least 30 years has cost Northumberland County Council roads department an extra £1m.
The council has drawn 750,000 from an "adverse weather reserve" fund to cut the overspend to 250,000.
The county, which has 5,000 miles of roads, is to establish a special reserve of 1.5m to fix the potholes which appeared in roads and footpaths when the snow cleared.
It also expects catering income lost as schools closed in the severe weather to cost it 80,000.
But as the financial year draws to a close, executive members have been told the budget position has improved since the last report, in November, with financial pressure areas offset by underspending in others.
Executive member for resources Coun Andrew Tebbutt said: "Clearly we are glad that the senior officers and the heads of service have applied themselves diligently to trying to make as many savings as possible in the budget."
Big savings have been made on staffing, many posts being left vacant in anticipation of cuts in the financial year starting in April.
A report to the executive by director of resources Steve Mason said: "Staff continue to work excessive hours and regular overtime to maintain service levels."
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Weather for Blyth
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North west
