Mayor: Leicester faces two more years of budget cuts

Mr Soulsby said the next few years would be "very challenging" for the city council

The Mayor of Leicester has warned hundreds of jobs will be lost as the city council faces a further two years of budget cuts.

Sir Peter Soulsby said this year's £30m of savings would need to be followed by a further £20m of savings in each of the next two financial years.

He said the council expected to cut 1,000 jobs by next April, adding it was inevitable hundreds more would follow.

The proposed savings would be "enormously problematic", he said.

'Protect front line'

Mr Soulsby issued the warning as he gave an update on the Labour-controlled authority's efforts to save £30m in the current financial year, which he said were on target.

But the former Labour MP said two more years of savings would inevitably have an impact on everyone on the city.

"I'm determined as mayor to minimise the pain on front line services and so far as I can protect the jobs of the people who provide these services," he said.

"But there's a limit on how far you can do that and what the government is expecting us as a council to do is to take the brunt of the cuts in local services."