Budget reveals major cuts in County Durham

Jun 24 2010 by Kerry Wood, The Journal

ROAD safety campaigns, help for would-be entrepreneurs, bus services, street repairs and deprived communities will all be hit as part of major cuts in County Durham.

For the first time, exact details of how the coalition Government will recoup cash from within the county have been outlined in a hit-list of the services and areas earmarked for funding cuts.

Following this week’s emergency Budget, savings of more than £16m need to be clawed back in the county in the next nine months.

Having its funding pulled completely is the free swim scheme for those under 19 and over 60, projects to help deprived communities, and a Kickstart scheme by Go North East to improve the quality of bus services in the east of the county.

Go North East commercial director Martin Harris said: “The funding would have secured the future of our service 65 and, together with the council’s bus priority plans, would have made a noticeable difference for our passengers.

“The disappointing news that this funding is no longer available could put the future of the service in jeopardy.”

Funding of more than £6m has been snatched back, halving the funding pot for initiatives to tackle issues including anti social behaviour and alcohol abuse.

Despite the announcement, leader of the council Simon Henig has declined to comment on the funding cuts until after a cabinet meeting on June 29.

Next Tuesday, members of Durham County Council’s cabinet will hear funding of £6,247,000 will be sliced from area based grants, £1.7m from capital grants and £8,851,000 from specific grants.

They have been warned the authority faces “significant challenges” in meeting the reductions in grants and to services used by people in the county.

Over the next three years the council will see planned reductions of at least £51m, but this year alone Government handouts for numerous community schemes will be retracted as they try to cut the national debt.

In the firing line is a three-year scheme to overcome barriers and help unemployed people return to work.

Now in its final year organisers fear the project could fall at the final hurdle as there is no longer the full amount of funding to see the scheme through.

Last year thousands were ploughed into maintaining the county’s highways, repairing potholes and on road safety schemes and school visits.

This year however the service will see its funding slashed by almost £200,000 leading to fears about a rise in deaths and serious injuries on the roads.

Transport will be hit for a second time when more than £1m is cut from funds for improving roads, repairing street lights and improving disabled access and walk and cycle ways. As a result, a project to bring real-time bus information |to the wider county will be scrapped.

And Be Enterprising, a popular project helping people set up their own businesses in some of the county’s most deprived communities, will see its funding cut by 23%.

Durham councilors will be asked to note the report at the meeting.

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