NORTHUMBERLAND Conservatives have announced a cull of committees as they prepare to seize control of the county council.

By scrapping eight “centralised talking shops”, group leader Coun. Peter Jackson believes the council will save £250,000 over the next four years on special responsibility allowances paid to councillors.

Instead, the plan is to introduce five local area councils which are tasked with engaging with the public, working on local regeneration projects and making a range of delegated decisions on roads funding and local planning issues.

The councils will cover North Northumberland, Castle Morpeth, Tynedale, Cramlington and Bedlington, Blyth and Ashington.

Coun. Jackson said: “Now that we are by far the largest group on the county council, it is our responsibility to deliver on our manifesto promises. Some we can move on quickly but others will take a while to work through. People told us that they wanted a council which works with them rather than impose unpopular plans in the autocratic way of the last four years under Labour.

“Not only will we work closer with communities but we will save taxpayers a considerable amount – a quarter of a million pounds over the next four years, which the council can put back into essential daily services.”