Council set to cut jobs and services

Coun Julie Dore, who took over at the helm of the council in May after four years of Liberal Democrat control, said she had instructed council officers to take a longer-term view on making savings.

Coun Dore criticised her predecessors for their “salami slicing” approach, which meant that no thought had been given to budgets beyond the cuts demanded by Government for 2011/12.

She said: “The important thing is to plan ahead, not to see what the council will look like in a year’s time but what it will look like in four years time, we need to be quite clear on what services we can provide.”

Coun Bryan Lodge, who is in charge of finance at Sheffield Council, said the cuts that had already been made had been the easy options and difficult decisions now faced those in power.

He added: “Those early cuts were the low-hanging fruit. We would love to be sitting here saying it won’t involve any jobs or service cuts but we can’t.”

According to a report prepared for council leaders by Sheffield Council officers, the authority faces a forecast budget shortfall of up to £219m by 2014, including the £84m cuts which have been already been made this year and £57m needed in 2012/13.