TERESA May has been urged to work with services across Darlington to mitigate the impact of budget cuts.

County Durham and Darlington’s Police, Crime and Victims Commissioner, Ron Hogg, wrote to the Home Secretary recently, begging Ms May to reconsider current practice around budget negotiation.

He asked for more meaningful consultation between the Government and services affected by cuts and said councils should be able to have statutory obligations relaxed where alternative, evidence-based provision is in place.

He said such an approach could allow better efficiency, innovation and outcomes.

The letter said: “Decisions should follow evidence and spending should be directed where it is likely to do the most good.

“Darlington Borough has been forced, due to central Government cuts and limitations on council tax, into a position where they are having to withdraw funding from all non-statutory services.

“This means even where evidence shows that non-statutory services are more effective than the statutory ones, the latter must take precedence.”