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Parties lay out Northumberland election pledges

Luke Walton
BBC Politics North
Northumberland County Council Close up of the sign for Northumberland County Council. The lettering is white on a dark blue background underneath the red and yellow flag.Northumberland County Council
All 69 seats are up for grabs at the county council

Party activists in Northumberland have been stepping up their campaigning in preparation for an all-out election on 1 May.

The county council, England's second largest local authority by area, has been led by the Conservatives since 2017.

However, over the past few decades it has changed hands a number of times so is set to be closely contested.

So what are the main parties pledging to do to get the votes?

Smiling man with short grey hair and wearing a brown jacket with a faint red stripe and a blue and white striped open-necked shirt. The background is out of focus but appears to be a train station.
Glen Sanderson says he is "incredibly proud" of what the Conservatives have achieved

Glen Sanderson, the Conservative leader of the council, highlighted the return of rail passenger services to the south-east of the county as a "great success", with "something like 250,000 journeys taken since the end of December".

He added: "I'm very proud of the fact that just a few miles away is the site of the new data centre campus which will... bring thousands of jobs and £150m.

"Even in some of the remote areas we have got money coming in. Northumberland really is flying."

Head and shoulder shot of a man with short, slicked back brown hair. He is wearing spectacles and a black puffa jacket over a white and blue open-necked shirt. He is standing on a street in front of some apartment blocks and parked cars.
Labour's Scott Dickinson says people "feel like they're not getting the basics"

Scott Dickinson, Labour group leader, said: "People are really disgruntled about the way their communities are, how things aren't being looked after.

"And I think people in Northumberland pay a lot of council tax and they deserve to have services they can be proud of.

"The staff at County Hall and the workforce out in the communities want to do a fantastic job but they need to be given the tools to do that."

Head and shoulder shot of a balding man. He is smiling and wearing spectacles, a light blue jacked over a light blue shirt. The background is a rich landscape of rolling hills, trees and grassland.
Nick Cott, of the Liberal Democrats, says the party wants to make a "positive change"

Liberal Democrat candidate Nick Cott said: "Voters are thoroughly fed up, actually with the Conservative-run council, which isn't demonstrating value for money on key services.

"It's a choice between the old parties Labour and the Conservatives that have let people down, both at county and national level, and the Liberal Democrats, who want to make a positive change for our communities."

Head and shoulder shot of a woman with blonde hair, which has been tied back but seems to be blowing in the wind. She is wearing a light blue jacket and a white chiffon scarf with grey and blue flower-type designs, and standing against a background of a stone wall with arched windows, probably a church.
Reform UK's Katherine Hales believes politics are not addressing people's concerns

Reform UK candidate Katherine Hales said: "People are feeling that politics both nationally and locally hasn't addressed their concerns or their interests in the last few years.

"They are aware of the pressures on their finances.

"And I feel in some ways that they are turning to Reform as a last hope that they can change things politically."

Head and shoulder shot of a young woman with sunglasses pushed up on the top of her head over long black hair. She is smiling and wearing a brown jacket, and standing in front of a stone wall with trees and grass, slightly out of focus.
Antonia Azocar-Nevin, of the Green Party, wants to get people involved in community projects

Green Party candidate Antonia Azocar-Nevin said: "The Greens are trying to get a better bus service. We want everything to be more accessible for people.

"It would be great to get some more community projects where people of all ages can get involved.

"My passion would be to get more things for young people, they tend to get bored and that's not good for anyone."

Head and shoulder shot of a smiling man with grey hair, wearing a grey jacket over a black crew neck jumper. He is standing in front of trees and shrubs, in sunshine, slightly out of focus.
Derek Kennedy says communities are "strongly represented" by independent candidates

Derek Kennedy, an independent candidate, said: "We are not party-driven, we are actually driven by what the people want.

"We bring something new that nobody else can bring.

"The independents make up around 15% of Northumberland County Council so we are quite a strong voice and we do strongly represent our communities - we want things to happen."

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