As a result of cuts to funding from central government

Proposed saving of £4.3 million pounds have been published by the council as a result of cuts to funding from central government.

These have been identified following the Government’s announcement earlier in the year that it would be cutting the council’s previously agreed grants in the current financial year.

On top of this, next month will see an announcement of how much will be cut from Government departments over the next few years. This will impact on the council as most of its funding comes from grants from departments.

Cllr Jagdish Sharma, leader of the London Borough of Hounslow, said "As well as already cutting the money promised for the current financial year, we have been warned to expect further cuts to come from the Government of anywhere between 25 and 40 per cent. This means we have to look at every area of council funded services to see if it can be done more efficiently.

"By taking a responsible approach and acting now, we can work to protect the most vulnerable. However, losing the level of money being talked about will inevitably have an impact on our services, so people need to be aware of that.

"These published savings proposals will help us meet the cost of the cuts that we already know about, and prepare for the ones to come next year.

"We do not want to make these cuts, but the Government have left us with no choice.

"As well as tackling these immediate spending pressures, we are planning ahead. We are asking some challenging questions about how we as an organisation deliver services to residents, and how we can transform how we work.

"This is an ongoing process that will not be easy, and it will take some time to bear fruit. But it is important we begin now, so we are better placed to serve our residents."

The proposals are being published today by the council to let people see which areas are affected by the savings plans.

The report is available from http://bit.ly/an7Tx3.

September 8, 2010