Leak reveals where Northumberland Council cuts will fall

Nov 23 2009 By Brian Daniel, The Journal

A LEAKED report has laid bare the full extent of a £16m package of cuts being drawn up by council bosses in Northumberland.

Details of Northumberland County Council’s draft budget for 2010/11 will go to the Liberal Democrat controlled authority’s executive later this month, with the anticipated savings coming in at £15.772m.

The document proposes a series of cuts across all council departments, with areas worst affected set to include highways, adult care, youth services, libraries, leisure centres, public transport and refuse collection.

The council is looking to save nearly £1m through the closure of the Greenholme Residential Care Home at Haltwhistle and Dene House care home in Hexham.

It is also looking to scrap its maximum £90 charge for non-residential adult social care and to introduce unlimited charges, saving £200,000.

A grant to Ashington Leisure Centre will be scrapped, saving £150,000 while the council is proposing to transfer ownership of Bedlington Community Centre, which it says would save it £78,000.

The Household Waste Recovery Centre at Seghill would be closed, saving £120,000, while six of its least used libraries could also be shut to save £28,000.

Public toilets at Amble and Prudhoe, the council’s Amble cash office plus the restaurants at County Hall and Hepscott Park are also facing the axe.

The council hopes to save £226,000 by transferring responsibility for play areas to parish councils across the county and also wants to offload responsibility for allotments, Christmas lights, bus shelters and public seats to parishes.

Further proposed cuts are £250,000 through a review of the authority’s home to school transport policy in the north of the county and £70,000 through increasing charges for school meals by 5p.