Mark Whitehead 28 November 2017

Council proposes funding cuts for Citizens Advice

New charges for garden waste collections and cuts in funding for Citizens Advice are among proposals by West Berkshire Council to balance its budget next year.

The council says increasing demand for services and a reduction in central Government funding means it will have to save about £10m to deliver a balanced budget.

In its proposals for public consultation it says most of the savings will be found through greater efficiency and a possible increase in council tax but about £1m of savings will impact frontline services.

A charge for garden waste collections based on an annual subscription of about £50 per household would generate around £900,000 a year.

Funding for Citizens Advice would be cut from £120,000 to £40,000.

Stopping sending planning application notices directly to nearby properties would save about £17,500 a year.

Cllr Graham Jones, leader of West Berkshire Council, said: 'Our priority has been to protect those services which support the most vulnerable people in our communities but it's inevitable that there will be an impact on some other services.

'Although we have set out our proposals for next year it's important we give communities the chance to tell us how they will be impacted and what might be done to alleviate the impact of any decisions before we decide how to proceed.'

Image: Black Hill Design / Shutterstock.com.

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