35 jobs could go in Merton Council budget cuts (From This Is Local London)

35 jobs could go in Merton Council budget cuts

9:21am Wednesday 17th December 2008 in

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Merton Council bosses have announced a raft of cuts in the face of “incredible economic circumstances”.

They outlined plans to make net cuts of £3.87m to next year’s budget and indicated jobs would go at a cabinet meeting on Monday night.

The final council budget will be confirmed at a full council meeting on March 4.

The latest plans include £6.7m of savings, with £1.1m of cuts coming directly from a reduction in front line services.

They also include £2.8m of extra spending, more than half of which will be invested in adult social care.

Councillor Samantha George, deputy leader, said the council had tried to minimise the impact of the cuts on residents, but warned that they would lead to the loss of up to 35 council jobs.

She also said the council would have to deal with a growing elderly population and rising demand for primary schools in the years ahead.

Council leader David Williams said the turbulent economic climate meant it was impossible to predict the size of next year’s council tax rise so far ahead of the final budget meeting.

He said: “Where are we going to be in 10 weeks time? It would be foolish of us to contemplate what an increase in council tax would be or should be.”

Coun Williams also predicted a “dive” in the council’s income from charged services like parking and swimming pools.

Stephen Alambritis, head of the council’s Labour group, later said that residents council should divert money from paying consultants to supporting the voluntary sector.

He said: “We would urge the cabinet to go back to the drawing board and use some of their reserves.”

The council also announced the seperate capital budget during the meeting at the Morden Civic Centre.

This included investment in the regeneration of Morden town centre, improvements to Merton’s streets and the expansion of the borough’s sixth forms.

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