West Berks facing £28m cuts

Alex Gore • Published 23 Nov 2011 17:00 1 Comment

WEST Berkshire's ruling Tories are preparing to slash £9m from next year's budget as they battle to cut spending by £28m over the next four years.

The cuts will include £2m from the council's £38m adult social care coffers. The council expects £1m of these savings to affect vulnerable residents but stresses it is looking to work with voluntary groups to help plug the gaps and will be consulting with them over the coming weeks.

It is also aiming to cut £3m from its staffing costs, including 47 job losses, and spread the remaining £4m savings across all other departments - the details of which will be revealed in the next few months.

Council leader Graham Jones said "As a district we are well-placed to cope with some of the worst effects of the economic recession. However, the district council is duty bound to make its contribution to reducing the national deficit in line with demands of the Coalition Government.

"Savings are unavoidable, and difficult decisions are having to be made, but we believe we can meet this challenge through prudent financial management which will allow maintenance of the most important front-line services for local people."

The planned cuts for 2012-13 make up around 7% of the council's £125m budget and stem from a reduction in Government funding, 5% inflation and increased demand on adult social care and services for people with learning disabilities.

To meet the £28m savings over the next four years, the council has published a strategy document on it website outlining its future priorities and pressures. The ruling-Tories are asking the public to have their say on where savings should be made by January 7 - before finalising its budget proposals for next year.

The cuts following £8.2m be axed from West Berkshire's 2011-12 budget, which included 120 which included 120 redundancies - nearly 10% of the council's work force.

Have your say at www.westberks.gov.uk/councilstrategy

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 23 Nov 11

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• 

  Afro Tuesday
  Unregistered User
  Nov 24, 11:33
  Report comment

  No doubt the inept powers that be won't face the chopping block but rather the poor mid-level punter or agency staff employed by WBC. Still that is the Tory ideal; the rich carry on getting rich(er) whilst ordinary Joe is left hanging. Nevermind the fact that you can level the sole blame at the jokers who ran West Berks into the ground. That being the local councillors and the likes of Nick 'Get/Git' Carter. Not to mention the majority of delegation specialists/all-day coffee breakers who form the core management structure of the actual council. Perhaps if a few of these time/tax/air wasters were given the royal bootage the above cuts wouldn't be needed. Who am I kidding; there is no perhaps about it!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 17     No 2

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