Liverpool social care services to be cut by 25%

Social care services will be cut by a quarter

Social care services in Liverpool will be reduced by a quarter as a result of £156m of cuts over three years.

Mayor Joe Anderson said some mandatory services would be cut by 25% - including adults and children's social care, environmental health and refuse collection.

Liverpool faces its "biggest budget challenge" following £173m of cuts made in the last three years, he added.

Spending on leisure centres, culture and regeneration will fall by 50%.

Mandatory services are those the council has a legal obligation to provide, whereas services such as culture, regeneration and leisure are discretionary.

'Really unpalatable'

By 2016-7, the city will have seen government funding cut by 56% in real terms since 2010-11.

Mr Anderson said: "This is really unpalatable and not what I nor any of my team came in to politics to do. I know people will be worried about how they may be affected, and the truth is it will impact on every service in the city.

"The stark reality is that it will mean less of absolutely everything, whether it is libraries, leisure centres, children's centres or social care buildings."

Details of the proposals are currently in development and are expected to be announced in February, followed by the city's budget meeting on 5 March.