Council cuts due in budget plan

A North Yorkshire council has warned service cuts "should be expected" as it prepares to cut its budget by £1.5m.

Hambleton District Council said it needed to make the saving over the next four years.

The authority said the deteriorating state of the national debt meant there was a real possibility of severe reductions in government grants.

It also said a recent rise in spending meant significant action was required to rebalance the books.

The report, by executive director Phil Morton, said the £1.5m was unlikely to be found in efficiency savings alone and service cuts should be expected.

Mr Morton said funds raised through new parking charges and efficiency savings already made would be largely negated by the impact of additional pension contributions.

It is proposed that the council's base budget of about £10m is cut by £300,000 each year.

The council's cabinet members will be asked to approve the plans at a meeting on Tuesday.

A list of planned efficiency savings and spending cuts would be produced, but they would not be implemented until after the General Election, when the financial situation will be reviewed.