Sheffield to face further cuts as council reveals need to save £40m

Sheffield Council will have to make a further £40 million of cuts this year to balance its budget.
Sheffield Council needs to save a further 40m in 2017/18Sheffield Council needs to save a further 40m in 2017/18
Sheffield Council needs to save a further 40m in 2017/18

The authority revealed the latest round of savings required to deal with another reduction in Government funding ahead of the first of several consultation meetings.

A draft budget is likely to be made public in February, with councillors debating the final version in March.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The council predicts it will have to find savings of £116 million by 2021/22.

Cabinet member for finance and resources Ben Curran said: “The government’s cuts to the council’s funding means we need to make at least another £40 million of cuts this year to balance the budget.

"This will be on top of the £350 million of reductions that we’ve been forced to make since austerity began in 2010.

“We are now in the seventh year of an austerity programme that was meant to last four years and there is no let-up in sight.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Things are getting more difficult but we want people to join in with our budget conversations about how we’re planning to manage the impact of austerity in the city.

"As always, we want to continue finding new ways to deliver the services that people care about, take care of people who need us the most and grow our income to offset as much of the government’s cuts as possible.”

Two public events will be held before the final budget is drawn up. They will be split into specific areas of council business.

Children, young people and families will be the focus of the first, at the Town Hall from 5pm to 6.30pm on Tuesday (January 24).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The second, at The Circle in Rockingham Lane, will look at leisure, planning, transport and regeneration from 6.15pm to 7.45pm on Thursday (January 26).

People can register to attend at www.sheffield.gov.uk/budget or you can ask questions in advance on the council’s Twitter feed @SheffCouncil using the hashtag #budgetconversation.

Today’s top stories:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad