Sandwell Council to make £22m cuts over next two years
Councillors at cash strapped Sandwell Council have agreed to find £22 million of cuts over the next two years as they vow to protect vital services.
The authority's cabinet has backed the Facing the Future programme of projects which is looking at ways to manage the cuts.
Officials say they are battling financial pressures after receiving up to £120 million less in funding from central Government in the six years to 2015/16.
The programme aims to find savings and transform the way the council works in order to find longer term ways to find cuts.
Five projects – including a shake-up of how the council buys goods and how it tackles new public health duties – are already on course to save over £16.5 million of the £22 million needed in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years.
Council leader Councillor Darren Cooper said: "Local government across the country is facing unprecedented cuts in the cash it gets from Whitehall and Sandwell is no exception.
"Individual departments are already planning to save £40 million over the next two financial years, but we need a new approach to cope with the scale of the cuts we face.
"That's what 'Facing the Future' is all about.
"We can't just slice bits of budgets all over the council. We need new ways of working which change the way we do things across the board and involve our residents more in the way they get the things they need from us."
He added: "It won't be easy. The financial problems we're grappling with are huge and we're trying something new here.
"But we have to come up with a fresh approach if Sandwell people are to continue to get the services they rely on."
A further review to finalise the cuts programme will be held in the spring.
