Norfolk County Council reveals £33m more cuts and savings

The Conservative-controlled council needs to plug a £45m spending gap next year and has revealed some details of where the axe could fall to save £33.6m.

It includes cutting £16.5m from adult social care, £7m from children's services and £6m from infrastructure spending.

And the share of council tax which goes to County Hall is also likely to go up yet again - with options to hike it by 3pc, 5pc or more than 5pc.

Some £20m is earmarked to be saved by reducing how many elderly and vulnerable people end up in costly care homes, by helping them stay in their own homes, with support.

Thousands more street lights would be switched off to save £200,000 and £2m cut from housing-related support services for vulnerable people.

The council also plans to save £2.8m by "reviewing" how it provides housing with care and intends to spend £200,000 less on library materials, such as books.

More street lights could be switched off (Image: LDRS)

The controversial move to bring in timed slots for recycling centres and to change charging for trade waste at recycling centres - slammed by small businesses - are part of a bid to save more than £350,000.

The council is eyeing that saving because less rubbish would have to be dealt with at the county's tips.

Andrew Jamieson, deputy leader of Norfolk County Council (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Andrew Jamieson, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: "The financial challenges faced by local councils cannot be understated.

"Demand continues to increase, costs continue to rise and government funding remains unclear.

"We have identified a number of savings which we do not want to make, but we have no choice under the present financial circumstances while we await forthcoming financial settlements from the government.

"We have a legal duty to balance our budget and a responsibility to Norfolk residents to keep their county solvent.

"We have successfully navigated our budget through the challenges of the pandemic, the spike in inflation and a continuous rise in demand."

The council has a statutory legal duty to provide services such as adult social care, children's services and road maintenance.

But some services - and the level of services in some it does have to provide - are discretionary, so the authority can cut those, although some will need to go out for public consultation.

Norfolk County Council's County Hall headquarters (Image: Mike Page)

On top of the savings identified for next year, the council has also overspent its budget for this year by £12.5m.

That has prompted council bosses to introduce spending controls in children's services and adult social care.

Council leaders warned they could have to consider countywide financial controls - freezing some "non-essential" spending next year unless the pressures are eased.

Staff at County Hall have been told that jobs could be affected, with vacancy freezes and people leaving not being replaced.

Liberal Democrat Alliance group leader Brian Watkins (Image: Liberal Democrats)

Brian Watkins, leader of the Liberal Democrat Alliance group at County Hall, said: "Over a decade of Conservative neglect has left this council in yet another difficult, but familiar position of having to reduce our key services whilst taxing people on more of their hard-earned money.

"Nationally and locally, local authorities and the care sector are on life support, the Labour government must learn from the mistakes and indifference of their Conservative predecessors and ensure better funding for local government as well as reform to our care sector.

"The services that our residents rely on depend on action, innovation and utilising the expertise of council staff and all 84 elected members, not business as usual."

Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group at Norfolk County Council (Image: Archant)Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group at County Hall hit out at the lack of detail over where exactly the axe would fall.

He said: "Despite proposing massive eye watering cuts to budgets for adult social care and children's services there are hardly any details of where the cuts will come.

"How can they publish numbers of that magnitude without coming clean on what they mean?

"'The truth about the Conservative claim to be running the council well is being shown up for what it has been all along."

The council has made changes to recycling centres - and is planning more (Image: Ian Burt)

The council agreed £42m of cuts and savings for the current year in February, including part-closures of recycling centres and switching off thousands of street lights.

The pressure on councils has seen some local authorities effectively declare themselves bankrupt because they could not balance the books.

The finance papers will go before the council's cabinet on Monday, October 7 and go before various other committees before the budget is set next February.