Councils counting scale of cutbacks

Councils across Yorkshire were counting the scale of the cutbacks they face yesterday after figures suggested the Government is poised to slash funding to the region’s local authorities by an extra £300m by 2015.

By The Newsroom

Published 21st Dec 2012, 06:00 BST

North Yorkshire County Council said its settlement was worse than it expected, with a reduction in funding for the county council of £10.1m in 2013/14 and a further £12.1m in 2014/15.

Hull Council said it expected to receive a cut in funding of £13.6m in 2013/14 compared with 2012/13. The figures suggest a further cut in funding of £16.7m the next year.

Last night York Council said its grant will be cut by 10.3 per cent in 2013/14 and is expecting to see a further cut of 14.3 per cent in 2014/15.

Councils say they have already slashed services on an unprecedented scale and are now faced with finding further cuts. Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, insisted they should be able to cope by working more efficiently.