Manchester City Council Sets Out Stark Budget Proposals

Wednesday, 12 October 2016 15:15

Manchester City Council proposes cutting 160 jobs as part of plans to save up to £75m over the next three years.

Manchester City Council has published details of its budget options and priorities for the three-year period 2017/18 to 2019/20.

They are set out in a series of reports which will be considered by the Council’s Executive when it meets on Wednesday 19 October before being examined by scrutiny committees next month.

The authority proposed £27m of cuts to adult social care and £6.7m in children's services and education.

The proposals also include axing school crossing patrols, cutting back on early years speech therapy and an increase in council tax by 4% a year.

The Council is facing a budget gap of between £40m and £75m by 2019/20 and the options, produced by its officers, outline potential ways of addressing it.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said:

“Manchester remains an ambitious city and this will be ambitious budget which will nevertheless involve some difficult decisions. I would stress that these are options and no decisions about specific proposals are being taken until the New Year.”

Manchester's Liberal Democrat Councillor John Leech, said people would be "understandably shocked" at the proposals including job losses especially when the news comes just weeks after a number of senior managers were awarded above inflation pay rises.

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