Wakefield Council: Social care, school meals and litter team affected

A HUGE raft of youth services will be axed in Wakefield this year as the Labour-led authority slashes £19m from its annual budget.

A list of more than 50 programmes that will end includes projects aimed at preventing anti-social behaviour, bullying, youth crime, child poverty, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and the rise of violent extremism.

The council is also proposing one of the most radical organisational shake-ups of any authority in the region, with a controversial plan to put key services such as road repairs, waste collection and trading standards out to private companies to deliver.

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In the meantime, spending in most areas will be scaled back – with 1,700 job losses predicted by 2015.

Charges for essential services such as social care and school meals will be increased, and less support will be offered to children with mental health problems and disabilities.

The council’s “rapid response” team which reacts to reports of fly-tipping and litter problems will be cut altogether, and garden waste collection services scaled back to once a month.