Peterborough council consults residents on budget and job cuts

Marco Cereste wants residents to decide which services are most important

More cuts to senior posts, changes to social services and arts funding cuts are planned by a Cambridgeshire council in a bid to save an extra £8.2m.

Peterborough City Council has already announced budget cuts of £16.6m and 30 jobs losses but needs further savings.

The Conservative-run administration aims to finalise its plans on 4 March and is asking for the public's views.

Council leader Marco Cereste has also pledged to freeze council tax saying "in total we need to save £25.3m".

"On 17 December, councillors approved this first phase of proposals which amounted to £16.6m.

"However, in total we need to save £25.3m - that's £500,000 worse than we first envisaged.

"The government announced just before Christmas that our grant would be £12.8m less next year - not the £12.3 million for which we had planned," he said.

Major savings will be made in areas such as reorganisation of adult social care and health provision which will see £1.1m extra saved above the £7m already announced.

Further cuts in senior managerial posts is expected to bring savings of £350,000.

Residents have until he beginning of March to make their views known.