Leicestershire County Council to 'find extra £40m' in savings

The council said every service is under review and it may be left offering "a bare minimum" service

Leicestershire County Council has said it will have to find an extra £40m of savings over the next four years on top of £87m it had already identified.

The Conservative-led authority warned essential services for vulnerable adults and children could be at risk.

Deputy leader Byron Rhodes said the new living wage will also have an impact on its budget.

Keith Libetta, from the union Unison, said fresh cuts were "unsustainable" and feared for staff.

He said: "We are now looking at cuts that are going to impact on really essential services that the council deliver but equally the impact on staff morale.

'Overspend'

"It is a constant drip, drip, drip of one cut after another and this has been going on for over five years."

The council said every service is under review again and it may be left offering "a bare minimum" service, with more museums and rural bus subsidies likely to go.

Mr Rhodes said: "We're now getting significantly more children who need specialist foster care and placements because they are vulnerable and in danger.

"These placements cost a great deal in money and we already have an overspend in children's services of £5m or £6m, which is going to add to our costs."

He added the living wage, while seen as a good thing, will have a "very big financial impact for the county council".

In February, the authority's cabinet agreed to cut 700 jobs and increase council tax by almost 2%.