Telford & Wrekin Council will consult on £9m list of service cuts

Newport's community recycling centre could close as part of more than 200 cuts to services Telford & Wrekin Council is considering in a bid to save £9 million.

Raising parking fees in Ironbridge and Telford town centre, increasing charges for social services and cutting back on litter picking are also among the options being put out for consultation.

Three options will also be put to residents on next year's council tax – freezing it to take a Government grant of £1.4 million, which would lead to bigger cuts in the following years; raising it by 2.5 per cent this year to avoid even more savage cuts next year; or increasing council tax by 3.5 per cent to avoid some of the cuts or reduce tax in 2013-14.

A 2.5 per cent rise for the average home in the borough, which is band B, equates to 41p per week. A 3.5 per cent rise would be 58p per week.

Councillor Bill McClements, cabinet member for resources, said: "The Government's one-year sweetener to freeze council tax is, in reality, a bitter pill that will lead to higher rises in council tax or even deeper cuts in future, but we will be consulting on this issue."

Councillor McClements said most of the £20 million savings the council has to find would come from a reduction in staffing, cuts to senior managers' pay and efficiency and restructuring but about £8.6 million would have to come from service cuts.

The full budget proposals, including the cuts being considered are available at www.telford.gov.uk/budget