More than 100 jobs will be axed and funding for school meals slashed at Wolverhampton City Council as bosses try to cut almost £26 million off the authority’s budget in one year, it emerged today.

But council tax is set to be frozen for a further four years on top of this year’s zero per cent rise.

The council employs 12,645 people and needs to save more than £70m by 2016 as a result of Government spending cuts.

Its main Government grant is falling from £144m to £128m. Council bosses today revealed the latest £4m worth of spending cuts will include eight job losses in the park rangers service, and turning Pendeford Mill Nature Reserve into a self-funding centre or closing it.

Council staff will be charged for car parking and school meals funding will be reduced.

Three out of four annual classical music concerts at Wolverhampton Civic Hall will also be scrapped.

The latest cuts come on top of £4m of savings already identified in September that include cutting the cost of computer systems and software contracts, reductions in advertising and publicity budgets, a review of accommodation costs and reductions in agency staff budgets.

Bosses today said they expected to make more than 100 job losses but hoped to lose the posts through voluntary redundancy.