Oxford,
10
February
2016
|
09:53
Europe/London

Council proposes “community fund” to plan for cuts

Following the previous announcement in December, Oxfordshire County Council estimated it would have to save another £22m over four years up to 2020.

The Government has now said that Oxfordshire County Council will receive an additional £4.5m for two years. However this money does not avoid the need for cuts as the Government "transitions fund" is for two years only.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "This money is welcome but it only gives us breathing space to plan for yet more cuts over and above those we consulted on in October. Over the next four years we will have to find the same amount of money - £69m.

"I know that many people are worried about the impact of cuts on services they value, such as children's centres and subsidised rural bus services. Unfortunately we will have to continue with these savings proposals.

"Our plan is to use some of the money to create a one-off "community fund" to help local areas manage the impact of the savings we will have to make. This will be aimed at helping communities take on the running of services they value in their local area."

Notes to editors

* The announcement in December led to Oxfordshire County Council have to plan for £69m of new savings from 2016 to 2020.
* Options for £58m of those savings are currently being considered in the budget process. A total of £11m of savings are still to be found.
* The council sets its budget on Tuesday, February 16, 2016