Bolton Council report sets out plans for £30M worth of cuts

A report put before Bolton Council said the authority will need to slash budgets by around £30M over the next four years, with £8.2M to be cut over next year and again the year after.

It said it was assumed the general council tax would rise by nearly three per cent, while the council would also need to use millions of pounds worth of reserves.

Council deputy leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman said: “This report details how this council has seen £229m of cuts since 2010, and these remain incredibly challenging times for local government finances.

“However, in that time we have always made sure to protect the services that our most vulnerable adults, children and families rely on, and we will continue to do so.

Millions of pounds are expected to be cut over the coming years (Image: Newsquest)

“Meanwhile, we are working hard to regenerate our town centres, boost the local economy and attract new businesses, all of which will bring in more income for the council.”

The cuts were set out as part of the council’s four-year medium term financial plan, which also highlights the ongoing pressures on social care and uncertainty over spending allocations.

This comes after a recent LGA Corporate Peer Challenge review found that Bolton is in a strong financial position compared to other council’s.

But according to the report set to go to cabinet, the medium-term financial plan also set out how £16.6M of council “reserves” will be used of the four year period to help with the cuts.

Reserves are funds that local authorities like Bolton Council put aside to help plan for the future and meet unexpected costs.

This is despite the fact that the council’s previous use of reserves in this way was challenged by outside auditors in their 2022/23 “value for money” report.

The appendix to the report also warned that the cuts were partly driven by soaring demand across children’s services.

It also said that protect vulnerable people from the impact of those cuts was likely to become more difficult.

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The report said: “The pressures the Council has faced in the last few years have not necessarily been as a direct result of austerity, as there are now very few remaining general government grants which could be cut, it is now more a case of soaring demand across children’s services.”

It added: “The major risk at this present time is the council’s ability to deliver another cuts programme to balance the budget. 

“It is clear that this is becoming increasingly difficult to identify cuts that meet the council’s policy of protecting the most vulnerable members of the community and minimising the impact on staff.”

The council cabinet will meet to consider the plan on November 11, with a further meeting set to consider a more detailed report in December ahead of a full consultation.