Up to £90m in savings could be required at East Sussex County Council over the next three years, a report to cabinet has indicated.
Despite the town hall having already found £78m of savings since 2010, members will today hear the town hall could face a ‘new scale of challenge’ up to 2018/19 ‘which cannot be met without direct impact on front line services’.
The report to cabinet will warn the ongoing cuts from central government could see statutory services provided ‘at a reduced level’, which ‘may increase the risks to some of the more vulnerable people in the community’.
It was added the county could be forced to ‘cease’ providing ‘some services that the public value’ if it is to ‘live within [its] means’.
‘It is not possible to achieve the next round of savings through efficiency and without affecting front line services,’ the report added.
The document said areas being considered in the ‘search of savings’ include adult social care – where work could be taken to ‘review return on investment in preventive services’ – children’s services, capital spending, communications, corporate finance and highways contracts.
Officers would be required to develop a plan over the summer to find between £70m-£90m for 2016/17 to 2018/19.
