Council cuts - what will stay and what will go?

Bit busy today but just time to link to Patrick Butler’s reports on council cuts in Merseyside.

It’s interesting, when you get into arguments and discussions about public spending, to ask people what they would cut – not just in general terms but specifically, service by service, what they would take the knife to.

This is the decision now facing councils around the country as the next financial year looms. The debate is shifting from general statements about spending cuts to naming the services which are not going to be provided next year. As Patrick says, the priorities set by Sefton for its consultation exercise give a rough guide to which services will disappear across the country.

Sefton’s budget reduction is at the higher end but other authorities are in an even worse financial position. As councils find themselves strapped for cash, the number of services in this nice-to-have category will only increase.

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