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Council ‘to cut spending by £60m’

The North East’s biggest council has said that it expects to have to cut spending by almost £60m.

In a report for Durham County Council’s cabinet, county treasurer Stuart Crowe reveals he expects the authority to have to save £58.4m over the next three years.

Council leader Simon Henig said the budget-making process was at an early stage and the report does not identify specific savings.

The figures were calculated assuming no rise in council tax.

In Durham, a one per cent rise in council tax would generate an extra £2m, but would be unpopular.

Independent councillor John Shuttleworth is predicting redundancies, but Mick Routledge, from Unison, said public sector cuts would be “a dangerous way to be going”.

The recession has seen local authorities suffer drops in income from leisure centres, planning applications and parking fees and increased demand for services.

Some reports have claimed the number of job losses at the region’s councils already tops 1,000.

Coun Henig said: “We are not about cutting services to the public. There will be reductions in public spending from central government.

“I can’t say what they are going to be. The Government hasn’t told us yet.

“As a well-prepared and well-managed council, we have to take proper papers forward setting out what the context is and saying what it could be.

“I believe County Durham, because of the firm foundations and the good start we have made to the unitary process, is in a stronger position than most other public sector organisations, so that whatever happens the impact may well be less felt in the county than elsewhere.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .