07.01.15
Savings exceeding £250m needed by Durham County Council
The north-east’s biggest council expects to have to making savings in excess of £250m by 2019 due to government cuts, it has announced.
Durham County Council says it will have to make even tougher cuts and savings after performing a detailed analysis of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement.
Whilst the Autumn Statement largely delivered the continued reductions in budget expected by the authority, the problem lies in the extension to the period of austerity, which is expected to see an overall reduction in government grants since 2011 of some 60%.
The Labour-run council raised its original target from £200m to £222m in October 2013, blaming additional reductions in government grants. It now says that a further £30m needs to be saved by 2019.
Council leader, Simon Henig, said: "Thanks to prudent planning we are largely on track to deliver the very significant savings which we have had to meet so far, however, there is no doubt that facing these continued cuts we will no longer be able to protect frontline services.
"We will continue to listen to the priorities of residents and businesses in County Durham as we manage these continually reducing budgets and to work with town and parish councils and the community and voluntary sector to find new ways to deliver services."
The council’s cabinet will meet to discuss its Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) – the plan which the authority uses to manage its budget and track its savings – when members meet at Durham Town Hall next week.
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