How could council cut £90million?

Residents are to be asked for ideas where a further £90million a year can be shaved from council spending.

Lincolnshire County Council has warned that the need to make the huge annual saving could start to impact services as operating costs have been cut to the bone.

The challenge has arisen after further reductions in the council’s Government funding and rising demand for services.

Combined with the £150m of savings made over the last few years, that means the council’s budget (excluding schools) will have been almost halved over the decade.

The council is now reviewing its priorities and over the last few months leading councillors have been considering which services are most valued by residents.

Council leader Martin Hill said: “We’ve already started to reduce our operating costs wherever possible, but we can’t find this £90m per year through efficiency savings alone.

“We need to decide which services we believe are essential and which, while desirable, could be reduced, delivered in a different way, or even stopped.

“Public security is a priority for us, so we’re proposing to protect funding in areas like safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, gritting roads and highways maintenance.

“That means the savings would need to be found within the other services we provide.

“But we want to know what residents think, and the best way to find that out is to ask them.”

People can share their views by emailing finance@lincolnshire.gov.uk by the end of November.