Cuts hope to save £400,000

Concessionary bus travel is to be slashed and council tax put up as part of the budget announced today by Cannock Chase Council.

The opening hours of a popular cafe at Cannock Chase Leisure Centre are also set to be slashed and its menu scaled down as part of cost-cutting measures to save around £400,000.

The proposals for the next financial year, which include raising the district council's share of the council tax bill by 3.9 per cent, have been unveiled by council leader Neil Stanley.

There are also proposals for a £1.1million reserve to be set aside to fund future developments at the ailing Chase Leisure Centre and Prince of Wales Centre.

If approved by full council on February 25, the concessionary bus travel cuts could save up to £130,000 next year by withdrawing concessionary travel tokens for over 70s and the disabled.

Mr Stanley said the Government's grant of just £330,000 to fund a £1.3m scheme was a major cause for the proposal.

He said: "What we intend to do is provide an alternative dial-a-ride scheme to target those people who would normally use the tokens."

Changes to the cafe at Chase Leisure Centre include a drop in operating time from 45 to 28 hours, a change in menu to snacks and bringing it down to the ground floor.

The £1.1m reserve has been created from money given back by the Government in a settlement out of court as a cash reward for creating new businesses.

Mr Stanley said the budget over the next three years should generate a £390,000 surplus each year which could be added to the reserve to prevent the centres from facing closure.

He has confirmed the district council's share of the council tax bill would go up by 3.9 per cent up to £191.64 for a Band D property.