Northumberland County Council owed £898.4 million at the start of the financial year, up from £830.8 million in April 2025, according to figures reported by the BBC.

The council, which is run by the Conservatives, is allowed to borrow up to £1.6 billion. It borrows to pay for big projects like roads and buildings, and says its debt is manageable and within the rules.

Independent councillor Patrick Lambert, who represents the Norham and Islandshides area, raised the issue at a council meeting. He worked out that the debt amounts to about £5,500 for every household in Northumberland, based on the 162,000 homes in the county. He warned that council taxpayers may "have to pick up the pieces" and be "left liable" for the debt.

Nick Oliver, the councillor in charge of finance, called Lambert's point "political" and said the council's spending had been affordable and good for residents.

The argument is about how councils in England borrow money. Councils are allowed to borrow as much as they think they can afford, as long as it is for long-term investments like buildings or infrastructure. But the cost of paying back that debt comes from council tax — the bill households pay each year.

This is not just a Northumberland issue. Councils across England have borrowed large sums to fund projects and investments. The rules that govern this borrowing rely on each council judging for itself what it can afford.

The meeting where Lambert raised the concern is called the audit and standards committee. Its job is to check whether the council's financial controls and risk management are working properly.

Oliver's defence is that the council is still well below its £1.6 billion limit. His argument that spending has been affordable is a political judgement about whether the money is well spent. Lambert's £5,500-per-household figure shows the total debt spread across every home — not a bill each household has to pay now.

The question worth asking is whether the speed of borrowing matters more than the total amount. The debt has gone up by about £67.6 million in 15 months — roughly £4.5 million a month. If that pace continues, the council would be close to its limit in about five to six years.

Neither councillor said which specific projects are driving the debt higher, or what it might mean for future council tax bills. The meeting ended with a disagreement over whether asking the question was fair — or, as Oliver put it, "political."