Wirral council faces £20m savings challenge to avoid cash crisis

Nov 3 2009 Liverpool Daily Post

Wirral 320

“We need to take decisions now, while we have some manoeuvrability for the benefit of the council tax payers.

“This year, the budget is on target.

“But we would be in a better position if we had not had to backtrack, but that has not been in our hands.”

Wirral Council’s director of finance, Ian Coleman, recommended that the authority maintains a review of budget projections “as the global recession develops”.

In his report on next year’s budget, Mr Coleman warned of reductions in the cash handed to councils by the Government.

He said: “In his Budget speech on April 22, 2009, the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that the main grant for 2010-11 would not be reduced, but there will be reductions from 2011-12.”

Mr Coleman said: “The gap between projected expenditure and anticipated resources will need to be bridged by a combination of savings and/or increased council tax.”