Kirklees Council: People will 'suffer' from cuts, admits new leader

Cathy Scott warned "there will be pain" as Kirklees Council makes savings

"People are going to have to suffer" from Kirklees Council cuts, the local authority's new leader has admitted.

Cathy Scott warned "there will be pain from losing services" as the council looked to reduce its spending by £47.8m in next year's budget.

The authority has already frozen all non-essential spending and recruitment, and warned it faced bankruptcy if it did not balance the books.

Planned cuts will be discussed at a full council meeting later.

While detailed proposals are still being drawn up, the authority's finance chiefs have warned it will have to "delay, defer, stop or not start some projects".

Ms Scott, who is due to be formally elected leader at Monday's meeting, said charges would also be introduced for some services.

"It will be a challenge on everything. We're going to have to be prudent," she told BBC Look North.

"There will be people who are going to have to suffer as a consequence of loss of service."

Councillors are to meet in Huddersfield to discuss Kirklees Council's financial strategy

Ms Scott said further cuts would have to be found next year, with the council's budget shortfall set to rise to £61.1m by 2026/27.

She refused to be drawn on where the axe would fall, saying: "What I don't want to do is start scare-mongering.

"We are looking at it, we will consult with our communities and we'll consult with our staff."

Kirklees Council has warned it will have to follow Birmingham City Council in issuing a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself bankrupt, if it does not find savings.

Ms Scott said the council had been "forced into this situation" by the loss of hundreds of millions of pounds in funding from central government.

Professor Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics and Political Science, said local authorities were "typically spending 10 to 15% less today than they were back in 2010" despite demands for services rising.

Downing Street has said it is up to locally elected councils to manage their own budgets.

Ms Scott replaced Shabir Pandor as Kirklees Council leader after he resigned in face of a no-confidence vote in July.

She took an immediate 10% cut to her £27,210 annual allowance and said councillors "must take their fair share" of the financial burden.