Council tax in Cheshire East is being frozen, but jobs will be lost and services cut.

In the pre-budget report out today (Wednesday), CEC revealed plans for ‘efficiency savings’ to cope with the £13.4m slashed from government funding over the next two years. The council's net budget is being cut from £258.7m to £249m for 2011/2012.

A council spokesman said: "We will endeavour to manage most of the redundancies through voluntary redundancies and our redeployment register. However, we can’t rule out the prospect of compulsory redundancies."

The council will make £11.41m savings, including changes to conditions of employment and reducing agency staff costs –- with companies like Connexions who provide services for vulnerable youngsters. They also say they will improve use of council land and boost energy efficiency. They will save £1m by increasing taxes on second and long-term empty homes, with a hope this will free up homes.

A plan is in place to save £3.7m from the Places Budget by changing the way council transport is run and improving refuse collection.

Council leader Wesley Fitzgerald said: "The council is facing high demand for services, particularly in care of the elderly, protecting and enhancing the lives of children and repairing and enhancing our winter-damaged road network. This is set against a backdrop of the government’s tightening of public sector purse strings."

Phil Mason, Unison chairman for East Cheshire said: "We are particularly concerned about agencies like Connexions and transport planning and highways delivery but all budgets are under scrutiny and will be cut.

"We are very concerned about the threat to services to the public because we have now gone beyond where the council can make savings through efficiencies. If the council makes somebody redundant there will be nobody to do that job – it just can’t be spread any thinner."

CEC says it will still increase money for services for children, the elderly and vulnerable. There will be a £9.8m investment in services for older and vulnerable adults. Children’s Services will also get a boost thanks to an allotted £0.9m to provide care.

Coun Fitzgerald added: "The spending power for CEC is only £753.31 per head. This compares with an England average of £1007.21. Value in CEC is already high but we will continue to do more. The real work starts now."

The budget will go before the council for approval on February 24.

Other cuts proposed are:

  • Customer service cuts include ‘reducing staff and realigning specialist work’;
  • Reduce the level of community grants by 16 per cent, saving £150,000;
  • Communications staff and publications cut.
  • The council has pledged to forge ahead with regeneration in Macclesfield and wants a pay freeze for staff.