A Liberal Democrat councillor has criticised Bath & North East Somerset Council’s plans for £49 million of savings, saying they will ‘decimate services’ that local residents rely on.
Image courtesy of B&NES Council
Bath & North East Somerset Council published a series of proposals on Tuesday, 3rd January, which it hopes will achieve the £49 million of savings needed to balance its budget over the four years from 2016/17.
Councillor Andrew Furse (Kingsmead), the Lib Dem spokesperson on Finance for B&NES, said: “These cuts are coming down from a Conservative government and are being implemented by a Conservative-run Council.
“They will decimate services upon which B&NES residents rely, such as libraries, children’s centres and waste collections.
“With more Council Tax rises expected, local people will continue to pay more for less.”
The proposed savings come as the Council faces the biggest financial squeeze in its history – with continued reductions in Government funding and complex challenges such as the rapid growth in the number of vulnerable and older people needing social care support.
The Cabinet’s proposals result from a stringent and comprehensive review of all spending carried out over the past year, aimed at finding new ways to increase efficiency and grow income in order to protect priority front-line services as far as possible.
The Cabinet has identified £41 million worth of potential savings so far; including £12 million already being delivered in the current financial year despite pressures in the priority area of Children’s Services.
However even after driving out all these savings, more is still required and the Council will have to take some tough decisions to balance its budget.
The proposed budget will be considered the Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 1st February. The Council’s final budget will then be considered by Councillors at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday 14th February.
