Frontline service cuts to bite deeper warns Telford & Wrekin Council's finance leader
Telford & Wrekin Council has issued a warning that the next wave of cuts will have the greatest effect yet on its frontline services.
It comes as the Council updates on its current financial position and how it will deal with what it expects will be a further three years and at least another £30 million of cuts, over £10 million a year more for each of the next three years.
This is on top of nearly £80 million the Council will have cut from its budget from 2010 to the end of 2015/16. The reductions are mainly due to continuing reduction in government grants.
The precise detail of the gap in the Council’s budget won’t be known until it receives details of its Government’s finance settlement which is expected during December.
In the meantime, the Council is starting to develop ideas for savings proposals. It will hold an extensive consultation on any savings proposals from January before making its final decisions on cuts to services.
Cllr Lee Carter, cabinet member for finance, warned: “We have to be very straight with our residents – continuing cuts in Government grant now leave us with no choice but to make some very difficult decisions – the easier cuts have already been made.
“The fact that we continue to be a successful council and the impact to date hasn’t been worse is down to the way our finances have been diligently managed since 2011.
“Unfortunately our continued desire to do our very best for local residents will be seriously compromised by the cuts handed to us by Whitehall. We’re not alone in this with councils from across the country and the political spectrum saying the same thing.
“Whatever ideas we bring forward to make these cuts will have far greater impact on frontline services than anything the public has seen so far.
“There is every risk that the public will notice a very real negative difference in services that matter to most to them, while our ability to protect and care for the most vulnerable will be stretched, if not beyond breaking point, millimetres away from it.
“The £80 million we will have cut from our budget so far has focussed on driving down staffing levels. We have cut over 1,250 posts in the Council. We’ve reduced other costs such as management and improved efficiency while we also had success in generating new income from initiatives such as our solar farm.
“We undoubtedly have some very difficult decisions ahead and we will keep our community involved and consult with them every step of the way.”
