Arun District Council looks to slash budget by £3m

The cabinet members agreed on Monday to spend the next four months looking to slash the district council's budget by 3m.

The 15 per cent reduction in net expenditure will take place over the next two financial years '“ 2010/11 and 2011/12 '“ to enable the council to begin to balance its books.

Recommendations for making the savings will be reported back to the cabinet in November.

The decision was agreed unanimously by all seven cabinet members. But Paul Dendle, who is in charge of the council's finance and central services, warned the process would be tough.

"We have to be more efficient as a council and deliver more for less," he said. "As a result of this, there will have to be some sort of

reduction in overall staff totals.

"I agree that cabinet members should be involved in the nitty-gritty budget talks to look at how we can make the council more efficient and come back with the reduction, though some services will have to be diminished, reduced or even deleted."

Council planning boss Ricky Bower said the council owed it to the district's residents to keep down the burden of council tax on their household spending.

"This is the right thing for us to be doing. We have to bear in mind that a lot of people in the district are on fixed incomes.