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Walsall Council set for first coalition cuts debate

The new leader of Walsall Council has said he will 'not cut services indiscriminately' despite admitting the authority's financial situation is likely to get worse.

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The new Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition which took over the reigns of the authority after local elections in May will host its first full council meeting on Thursday, where new leader Sean Coughlan will speak to address his plans and ongoing issues in the borough.

Councillor Coughlan says he 'recognises the challenges' that the council has to meet, including making £86 million worth of savings over the next four years.

However, he has maintained that the authority will try to deliver as many services as possible in spite of cuts.

Councillor Coughlan said: "I recognise the challenges that the council has to meet, the main challenge being a financial pressure placed on this Council which forces us to make tough decisions.

"I make no apology, within an environment of reducing budgets we have an obligation, and it is a key principle of this administration, to ensure we deliver services at a scale and intensity proportionate to the degree of need.

"Both parties to the coalition will work tirelessly to meet this objective and I will demand from my cabinet and officers that they too keep this principle at the forefront of our thinking.

"Since the last time I was in office the deep cuts have got deeper, we will have a balanced four year budget and there will be a golden thread leading from this corporate plan all the way through to service delivery.

"I will not stand by and cut services indiscriminately."

When it was revealed in 2014 that the council would have to face up to making £86 million cuts, it was estimate that 487 jobs would be lost, alongside eight libraries and 12 children's centres.

An alternative budget put forward prior to this years elections by the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties organised funds so that the library services would be kept.

Councillor Coughlan said that his top priorities are reducing equalities and 'maximising potential'.

He said: "In short we will be focused on reducing inequalities and maximising potential.

"If at the end of my period of office I can say I have delivered that, I will have succeeded."

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