County council's crunch talks on cuts plus a hike in tax (From Herald Series)

County council's crunch talks on cuts plus a hike in tax

9:30am Monday 18th February 2013 in News

SWINGEING cuts to services and a council tax hike are expected to be approved at a crunch meeting today.

Oxfordshire County Council is set to approve its budget for the next year as it looks to save £77m between now and 2017.

Its component of Council Tax is expected to rise 1.99 per cent and if pushed through will be implemented from April 1.

A 12 per cent reduction in funding from central Government has forced the council’s hand. Cutting contracts and changing how it works with the health service is expected to save about £1m a year.

The council is to chop £800,000 from its children’s centres budget but has insisted none of the 44 centres will close.

But the county council said it will not go through with a planned £1.5m cut to its highways budget. And it has committed an extra £100,000 towards boosting economic growth.

The money will be used to strengthen its links with businesses and investment in to the county.

Leader Ian Hudspeth said: “We’re making no further cuts to the library service, protecting fire and rescue and putting more money in to children’s social care.

“Some of the money being saved in adult social care is being reinvested and the focus of those adult social care savings is in improving outcomes for service users at the same time as saving money.”