£90m budgets cuts planned for Liverpool

Liverpool City Council has revealed budget cuts of £90 million over the next three years after seeing a 68 per cent reduction in funding.

Outlining efforts to protect adult and children’s social care as much as possible, which account for less than eight per cent of the overall savings proposed, the council will seek to save money by undertaking a review of One Stop Shops to save £2.7 million and cutting the contact centre opening times to save £2.9 million.

In children’s services, savings of £4.1 million will be made by reducing the cost of care placements and packages and increasing the number of in-house foster carers to reduce the number employed by Independent Fostering Agencies.

Among other measures announced, the council will open new car parks and extend opening hours to raise an additional £920,000 by 2020 and invest £1.5 million in the city’s Lifestyles fitness centres to attract more users and generate more income.

A spokesperson for the council has reportedly confirmed that the cuts proposed in the city’s budget will lead to 300 jobs being lost.

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said: “I have always been clear that my priorities are to protect the most vulnerable in the city and help grow the economy and this budget is aimed at meeting those aims.

“Despite all of the cuts we have faced so far, we’ve continued to spend £12 million a year on homeless services and £2.5 million on crisis payments for the most vulnerable to help those in crisis pay their rent and council tax. There is no doubt that some frontline council services will be significantly reduced and we will have less staff by 2020.

“These are not things that we want to do, but we have no choice, because the Government isn’t listening and as the majority of people who responded to the budget consultation said they wouldn’t support a one-off 10 per cent rise in council tax.”