The leader of Barnsley Council has highlighted the urgency of delivering funding reforms to Red Wall areas.
Cllr Stephen Houghton warned that councils will increasingly be issuing Section 114 notices if the changes proposed by former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner are not introduced.
In an exclusive for The i, Cllr Houghton emphasised that the reforms are ‘essential’ to ensure deprived areas across the UK are supported.
He claimed that ‘there could be dire political consequences’ if improvements are not made.
The warning follows a meeting of Halton Borough Council’s executive board last week, during which councillors were informed that the local authority ‘must adopt a Section 114 attitude to all future spending plans’.
