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Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council last night passed its budget for the 12 months from April.
The proposals received cross-party support on the Labour-Liberal Democrat controlled council.
Youth services get biggest cut
The service area that will get the biggest cut is children and young people at £4.1m.
There will be a 10 per cent cut in the youth service, meaning work will be in the “most appropriate areas”.
“Targeted” cuts in school psychology, welfare, improvement and advistory service will save £268k.
Children will be put into care only when “absolutely necessary” to save £911,000, under council plans.
And there will be a five per cent cut to children’s social services to save £600,000.
This is despite a 23 per cent increase in referrals in the last two years because of fears from the Baby P scandal.
Pensioners to pay more
The council is also proposing a major hike in OAP day centre fees.
This would scrap a £4.40 flat rate for transport, entry and a meal at the centres for £6.30 transport each way and £3 for meals.
Day centre costs would be means tested as part of the plan to save £278,000.
A campaign group has warned this would trap pensioners in their homes but the council said the ability to pay should determine costs and the system is “fairer”.
The council warned that if it did not go ahead then it “would have to be replaced by other savings” from older peoples’ services.
”Unprecedented” challenge
A council report said: “The financial challenges facing the council are unprecedented in recent times.
“It is clear that some difficult choices have to be made but the budget process and the commitment shown by members from all parties has resulted in a balanced budget for 2011/12 and a prudent and responsible strategy for the medium term.”
It hailed “investments in adult social care and in children’s services”.
Job losses
Jobs will be lost but the council said it “would not be witnessing the level of redundancies other councils had to implement this year”.
Cuts in staff hours will save £96,000 while bosses hope that “selling” more annual leave to employees will bring in £70,000.
Stationary savings of £25,000 are expected while paying 40p a mile for staff mileage instead of block payments for heavy usrs and 36.9p a mile for ‘casual users’ will save £347,000.
Unions have threatened strike action over the move.
Unison and the GMB union also warned of high workloads and stress over the cuts to children’s social services
It said: “It is likely that increasing social need resulting from the impact of Government economic and social policies will create demand pressures on the service.”
Library fears
Library cuts had been “disproportionate in recent years” it said and there had been reductions in branch opening hours. This included Knowle.
The union said: “We are concerned about the impact of this year on year attrition to this important universal and community service.
“The reduction in the resources budget will reduce the range of available stock and hence the attractiveness of the Libraries to users. This budget is like the lifeblood of the service.”
Council tax frozen
Meanwhile, the council tax bill for Solihull town, Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath will stay the same, £1,321 for a band D property. This will rise by 2.5 per cent, £33, in April 2012.
The Hockley Heath bill will fall as Hockley Heath Parish Council has cut its take of the bill by 2.32 per cent. This will reduce a band D bill from £1,415.22, to £1,382.44.
The Government has said it expects all councils to freeze the bill as it had provided extra cash.
The council’s total budget will be £148.1m. A further £12m savings will need to be found the following year.
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