The government’s spending review is on the right track for the North East

Rebuilding after this chaos was never going to be easy, but the government's efforts in this week's Spending Review gets us onto the right track. 

The spending announcements mean we have seen a much-needed cash injection for our NHS and Schools.
This could not be more urgently needed after years of Tory Austerity. Our health service has seen its funding decline considerably in the North East. 

Similarly, our schools have been in crisis with buildings crumbling and a retention and recruitment crisis that is hammering teacher morale and ultimately hurting the quality of education our children can expect. 

Our transport systems have also seen a £15.9 billion boost, with a large portion of that being spent in the North of England. 
Just look at the £1.8 billion which has been pledged for an extension to the Metro, bringing in Sunderland and Washington. This kind of investment is essential to supporting the jobs growth we desperately need, and the industrial renewal our region deserves. 

But after more than a decade of Tory neglect, investment in all public services will need to be sustained in the years ahead to deliver national renewal.

That has to include local government, higher education and further education – all departments which have been at the sharp end of Conservative austerity. 

Both well-funded local government and support for our world class education system will provide the fuel that is needed for our region to grow and thrive. 

And there is an urgent need to reconsider welfare cuts that will make it harder for disabled people to work. Instead, ministers must ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay their fair share. 

The government is rightly focused on repairing and rebuilding Britain, a task that will require years of sustained investment.
There can be no debate about it – the global outlook is challenging, but leaving our decimated public services without sufficient funds would risk both future growth and public trust.

The message from voters is clear. They want the government to protect and rebuild our public services.

If that means asking the wealthiest to pay more, the public are behind it. People are fed up with a system where those with the most wealth don’t pull their weight.

The government has done the right thing by closing the tax loopholes for private schools and non-doms.

Looking forward, ministers must build on this and ensure those with the broadest shoulders pay their fair share.

It’s what the public wants and will raise vital funds to rebuild our country.

First published in the North East Journal, 16 June 2025