Devon's cuts revealed

More details of Devon County Council’s cuts have just been revealed

Spending by Devon County Council will be cut by £54.6m in the next financial year, following a 27 per cent cut in its financial support from the Tory led Coalition.

The Tory-controlled council, which has a total budget of £865m, said in 2010 that 900 jobs would be axed.  Liz French regional organiser of the union Unison, said: "I am not sure how some of the departments are going to function effectively and deliver services in the way they should. "I think staff are already terribly demoralised. They are facing cut after cut after cut."

Also signposted is a major cultural shift in local government that will see local councils commissioning many more services from a range of providers rather than doing it all themselves. This change will see a reduction by well over the 25 per cent in the number of top managers that will be in place by September.

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Children and young people's services will lose more than £14m, with early years services down by nearly £3m. Child in nursery school children and young people's services face the biggest cuts.

There will be reductions in school transport, youth work, information, advice and guidance services and the Learning and Development Partnership, which works with schools, but Grants to schools will increase

Adult and community services will be cut by £10m.

The highways budget will be cut by £8m

None of the county’s 50 libraries would be closed although opening hours at some branches may be changed.

Waste disposal is being cut by £2.1m, which will mean new charges at recycling centres and the closure of recycling centres at Dawlish and Buckfastleigh.

Devon would retain a county farms estate to provide starter farms for people seeking a career in agriculture.

There will be increases in spending on social care for older people and people with disabilities, children in care and children with special needs.

Opening hours at children's centres will be reduced but the council says no children's centres will be shut.

The proposals will be presented to a committee meeting on 24 January.

The final details of the budget won’t be finalised until February.

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