£20m worth of cuts still to be found at Sandwell Council
More than £20million worth of cuts still have to be found at Sandwell Council - sparking a new bid to find savings.
The cash-strapped authority has already outlined around £41 million of savings between 2015 and 2017 after grants to the council from central Government were reduced.
But a new report has said they still need to find another £22m in order to meet budget requirements and warned that more cuts will follow in future years.
To help decide where the axe should fall council officials have come up with a programme called Facing the Future.
The programme will encourage residents, organisations and businesses in the borough to get involved and have their say.
Sandwell Council leader, Councillor Darren Cooper, today said the priority will be to protect frontline services.
"Facing the Future is about an additional £22 million cut to our budget for 2015-17 on top of £41 million cuts we have already been forced to make for the same financial years," he said. "Facing the Future is about finding ways to do this while protecting frontline services.
"Our biggest budget goes on adult and children's social care and when you take these figures out there is very little left for anything else.
"Facing the Future is a way for us to look ahead and plan so that residents feel the least impact from government cuts which have been forced on us."
Facing the Future programme director, Steve Handley, and Phil Challoner, who is the programme's communications and engagement manager have complied a report to outline the council's position at a meeting today.
They say: "The cuts that have been seen from central government have had a major impact on the council and the services it provides."
The report added: "This will involve working differently and addressing services from a new direction, which is where the Facing the Future Programme has been developed from.
"All the projects are initiatives set up to further expand both the savings and the philosophy of 'more for less' through the involvement of local people, organisations and businesses."
The report's authors say that of the £22 million savings needed, £10 million will have to found in the financial year 2015/2016 onwards and the remaining £12 million from 2016/2017 onwards.
They also issued a stark warning that the council must plan for 'inevitable budget cuts' from 2017/18 onwards estimated at £16m in that year.
Areas where the most could be found have been grouped including health and social care budgets, regeneration and growth budgets and improvements to council working practices including IT systems and procurement.