BOLTON Council will lose another £2 million if Government plans to introduce the controversial nursery vouchers go ahead. The council already faces having to save more than £1 million from education and arts in the next financial year as part of wide-ranging budget cuts throughout the local authority. Mr Chris Swift, policy development officer in the education and arts department, told councillors the authority could meet its savings target in the next financial year but future years would need very careful consideration and would involve some tough decisions. Mr Swift said: "From letters sent from the Department For Education to the Association of Metropolitan Authorities, the indications are that the level of reduction in the standard spending assessment for this authority as a result of introducing vouchers would mean Bolton losing somewhere in the region of £2 million."

The imminent plans for saving £1 million involve cutting cash from the special schools resources which could mean losing one teacher in each of the special schools, failing to support teacher appraisal and cutting cash from the arts unit, ending support for the holiday language school and increasing the price of school meals. The plans were approved in principle at a special meeting of the education and arts committee and will be decided by the council at the end of February.

"How we will fund these predicted reductions in future years is something we will find extremely difficult, if not impossible, to do," said Cllr Eric Johnson.

The headteacher of Tonge Moor County Primary, Mr Tony Buckley, said: "We acknowledge the fact that education has been prioritised both locally and nationally but I see no cause for celebration in cuts of more than £1 million.

"This is a very sad day and these cuts come at a time when we feel more money is needed in education." Mr Brian Hughes, director of education, said the Audit Commission report into plans to introduce nursery vouchers "simply highlighted everything we are already aware of".

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