Huge Staffordshire council cuts move step closer
Massive cuts that could see youth clubs axed, the Shire Hall closed and lights turned off in Staffordshire have moved a step forward – but have been reduced by £7 million.
The decision-making cabinet at Staffordshire County Council has proposed a programme of £102m cuts over the next five years, which is down from the £109m originally expected.
And council bosses have proposed freezing council tax for a fourth consecutive year. Bosses said that the county's share of council tax was the lowest in England.
It comes as campaigners have vowed to oppose plans to close a historic library in Stafford as part of the huge savings.
Among the plans is the merger of the county's archives into a single archive building in a bid to save £75,000.
Currently, archives are kept at the Staffordshire Record Office and William Salt Library, both in Eastgate Street, Stafford and the Diocesan Record Office in Lichfield.
The Friends of William Salt Library today spoke out against the plans for the first time and said 140 years of history at the library would be lost if it was shut.
Friends chairman Dr David Jacques said: "The special nature of the William Salt Library cannot be stated often enough. It has survived for 140 years from the Victorian era of specialised research collections as an independent body, through the intrinsic merit of its contents in relation to Staffordshire history and through serving the people of Staffordshire. The library is 'an experience' in itself, something not to be sacrificed casually.
Deputy leader Ian Parry said the 'savings' meant the county's share of the council tax, which will be £1,027.25 for an average Band D property, was the lowest in England.
He said: "We do not want to place any extra demands on Staffordshire people's finances, so we are looking to freeze council tax for the fourth year in a row. However, resources are reducing and we need to be clear what our priorities are, to find better ways of doing things. This will not be easy and we will only succeed by working with communities and our partners to rise to the challenges ahead."
The plans will need to be approved by full council next week.
