Midlands Council needs to cut £68m
- 19 Feb
Wolverhampton City Council is to make £17 million of cuts in its 2013-2014 budget to meet it's target of £68 million in five years.
The council says it needs to save almost £68m over the next five years but Conservative opposition say it is unfairly targetted at vulnerable adults services.
Council tax is being is being frozen for the forth successive year after already having had to save £80 million.
Roger Lawrence, leader of the Labour-led council, said:
If we could deliver the same service out of a smaller number of buildings... that is a priority.
We have already had to save £80m over the last four years and this year we once again have to cut budgets to the tune of £17m in order to balance the books.The net budget that the council has been given for 2013-2014 is £255m. Mr Lawrence blames central government cuts, and said urban areas like Wolverhampton were being "unfairly targeted" as a way to reduce spending.
Conservative opposition leader Neville Patten thinks that the budget cut has been unfairly aimed at more vulnerable adults such as disabled and older people. He said:
Savings should be made through looking at council departments themselves first, where there are a lot of vacant jobs that wages are still being claimed for. These should be got rid of before services.
We all understand cuts have to be made, but this budget is aiming at the more vulnerable elderly and disabled groups purposefully.
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