MORE than 700 people who work for Somerset County Council will be out of a job by April as part of budget cuts amounting to tens of millions of pounds, it emerged today.

Following the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review announcement on Wednesday, Somerset County Council has revealed more details about where the axe will fall locally.

The council says the funding it gets from Government will fall in real terms by more than a quarter over the next four years.

  • The highways budget will be cut by a half (£46m) meaning no more resurfacing, although potholes will still be repaired.
  • The youth services budget will be cut by three quarters meaning youth centres will close.
  • Library services will be cut but which libraries will close will be put out to consultation
  • Ten Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) will go
  • The County Ticket bus subsidy for students will be reduced.

More than 700 staff could leave the council by April either through voluntary or compulsory redundancies with a further 800 posts expected to be lost over the next three years. Many of those remaining face potential pay cuts, and less generous terms and conditions to save money.

Other areas for proposed reductions include:

  • Bus subsidies on key routes;
  • School transport;
  • Arts funding;
  • Special Education Needs;
  • Truancy officers;
  • Road safety initiatives;
  • Closing down eight out of 18 household recycling centres;
  • Maintaining footpaths and rights of way.

Council leader Ken Maddock called the cuts ‘heartbreaking’, adding: “We have spent months looking at how we can be more efficient, and where we can cut but also how we can protect frontline services wherever possible.

“There are things we really didn’t want to cutback on, but we just don’t have a choice.

“We already have a huge debt so borrowing more is not an option – each year we pay out £36m towards our debt.”

Consultations with the public will take place in key areas, including:

  • Libraries – the public will be consulted about the impact of significant cuts to the library service that could see a number of closures. It will also include consultation with local communities and agencies to either help operate or take over some libraries entirely.
  • Adult social care – the public will be asked their views about the potential to change the current level of help offered to people with disabilities.

Cllr Maddock added: “We have protected what we can and these are very painful cuts for us to take,” said Cllr Maddock. “With the government taking more than a quarter of our funding, doing nothing just isn’t a choice for us. It’s not our doing, but it is our responsibility.

“We have reduced bureaucracy and red tape wherever we can and protected our lowest paid staff as much as possible.

“But let’s be clear, these proposals are not the end of the process but just the first round. There will be further, and deeper, cuts announced over the coming weeks and months.”

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