Derbyshire County Council plans £25m cut to budget

Up to 600 jobs could go at Derbyshire County Council as part of plans to save £25m over the next financial year.

Adult care, libraries and youth services will have to find savings but the authority is proposing a freeze in council tax for 2012/13.

It is part of the Conservative-run council's four-year plan to save £96m up until March 2015 due to a fall in government grants.

The Labour opposition group said the cuts would affect vulnerable people.

Conservative councillor John Harrison, cabinet member for finance and management, said: "Our task is to balance the budget, we have a statutory responsibility to do that.

"In the first tranch the staff compliment was reduced by 800 members of staff but that was only 5% of the total workforce of 16,000."

He said between 500 and 600 jobs would go over the next 12 months with cuts being found within office staff, and middle and senior management.

"The plans have been widely publicised," Mr Harrison said.

"We are continuing to listen to the public and we endeavour to the best of our ability within the constraints placed upon us to deliver what the public want."

Youth services and care for the elderly were hit as the authority cut its budget by £33m in 2011/12.

Anne Western, the Labour opposition leader on the council, said: "In Derbyshire they seem to be inflicting the pain on the most vulnerable people.

"We see in this budget again cuts being made in social services for older and disabled people, cuts to children's centres, cuts to youth clubs."

The final decision on the budget proposals is due to be made by full council on 1 February.