Walsall Council axes 200 jobs in £29m budget cuts

Plans to close five libraries were shelved

About 200 jobs will be lost at Walsall Council after spending cuts of £29m were approved.

Some children's centres will close and council tax will go up by 1.99%.

But a decision to close five libraries was reversed by councillors at their 2015-16 budget meeting as the authority looks to slash £86m over the next fours years.

Sean Coughlan, leader of the Labour-led council, said some people will be pleased and others left disappointed.

Cuts of £10.1m were originally put out to consultation, Mr Coughlan said, and the remaining savings of £18m will come from the authority "being more efficient, working differently and cuts in management".

Twelve children's centres will close saving £4.4m, the council confirmed after its budget meeting on Thursday.

Proposed savings of £288,000 by closing libraries in Streetly, Pheasey, Beechdale and Walsall Wood and south Walsall, £140,000 from changes to garden waste collections and £226,000 from the street cleaning budget were removed from the proposals.

They will instead be funded by a payment from council reserves.