£8.5m savings plan may need review - council

A council that is facing saving up to £8.5m is not expecting its local government financial settlement for 2025/2026 to change its overall budget position.

Shropshire Council is currently consulting on the savings proposals in a plan that includes collecting general household waste every three weeks and switching off some street lights.

The public consultation, which will help to shape the final budget proposals, is currently running until 26 January.

Councillor Gwilym Butler said the council was in a "very challenging position" and may need to revisit spending plans for the next year to find savings.

The government recently announced an extra £700m of funding for English council budgets next year, to help rebuild their finances.

But the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said local authorities would still "struggle to balance the books" amid wider funding pressures.

The council said that if the funding allocation was found to fall short of the total it needs to cover planned costs, its savings plans for next year may need to be reviewed. 

A draft medium term financial strategy is due to be published at a scrutiny meeting in January.

The local authority is already reducing its size by one-in-five jobs, alongside charging to collect green waste and implementing a booking system at household recycling centres to make essential savings.

Other proposed changes include changing park and ride services in Shrewsbury and reducing the days that the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery is open.

The removal of the rural services delivery grant, worth about £8.8m a year, is highlighted as a potential new strain on the council's stretched budget

Mr Butler, cabinet member for finance, corporate resources and communities said: "We are in a very challenging position that could be made worse without any funding that takes account of the extra costs of being a large, sparsely populated area – such as long travel times and fuel costs."

He said the authority would welcome the opportunity to work with the ministry of housing and local government as part of any long overdue review of council funding.

"We may need to revisit our spending plans for next year, finding more ways to further reduce spending, increase our income and manage demand for our services where we can," he added.

"It is more important than ever that local people have their say in our budget consultation, to help shape our next steps."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.