NEWS CHANNEL
The council is set to reduce spending by 15 per cent over the next three years and cut hundreds of staff.
Council leader Sam Crooks said the council will need to reduce spending by around £10million each year for at least the next three years as the supply of funding from central Government, which makes up 75 per cent of its budget, is expected to drop.
Spending areas that the council has identified as most vulnerable to the squeeze are highways, libraries, leisure, arts, voluntary organisations and homelessness.
Cllr Crooks said: “Highways makes up a very large part of our budget.
“We will be doing work on a lot of the potholes immediately as we know that people are very aware of the damage done to the roads by the recent weather, but there is a possibility of postponing other work on roads and pavements without significant effect.”
He said that other areas that could see cuts are ‘discretionary’ and that essential front-line services, such as social care for children and adults, will not be affected.
In figures released in a BBC survey, the council also revealed that it expects to have 328 fewer employees in the next three to five years.
Cllr Crooks said the council will avoid compulsory redundancies and try t omake the cuts necessary when staff in roles that are no longer needed retire or resign.
Money will also be saved through outsourcing of services; joint working with other organisations and pay freezes.
