13.11.17
Council considers slashing 40 jobs amid £13m spending cut
Newcastle City Council has put forward proposals to slash funding by £13m in the next year, alongside plans to raise council tax.
The council also says that 40 jobs are likely to become redundant, as leaders outlined plans to meet spending targets while maintaining funding on essential services.
Proposals are part of a wider plan to cut £282m by 2020 and could include a 3% rise in the social care precept along with 1.95% tax increases, for the second year running.
Cuts will also involve the development of new projects for adult social care and a reduction in the amount the council spends on several community projects.
Council leader, Cllr Nick Forbes, said Newcastle had suffered heavily from some of the highest cuts in the country but was doing what was necessary to keep services going.
He continued: “We are an ambitious council. Our transformation of services and good financial stewardship have helped minimise the impact, but government cuts are such that the decisions we have to make will still be very painful.
“Add to that the uncertainty of Brexit, public sector pay and the misery of welfare reform and it’s not hard to see why so many people are worried about the future.
“We will secure the future of services and facilities by exploring new models of delivery such as shared services, a charitable trust for our parks and investing in new affordable housing.
“The future will be tough, but we have a plan, and ambitions to unlock new investment through devolution which will keep the city in a strong position.”
An additional 40 redundancies would make a total of 2,500 job losses at the council over the last seven years.
The proposals, put forward as part of a draft budget, will be available here for residents to view and comment on until 7 January.
Top image: Glenn Bowman
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