Oxfordshire County Council plans £35m cuts next year

Calum Miller says the council is setting its budget at a "really difficult time"

A council has said it will make £35m of cuts in an effort to protect frontline services while having to deal with rising inflation.

Oxfordshire County Council said it is expects a funding shortfall of about £44m in 2023/24, equivalent to about 9% of its budget.

It expects inflation to cost it £27m in the next financial year and energy costs to rise by about £2m.

It said it faced its "most difficult budget pressures for many years".

The council said it was investing £44m to help increasing demand on children's services and adult social care, and to meet inflationary pressures.

Fees for its services could increase as the authority seeks to bridge its funding gap.

Calum Miller, the council's cabinet member for finance, said: "We're trying to balance a budget at a really difficult time.

"I hope people won't see that much of a change to the services they receive from the council… but that's not something we can sustain forever.

"As we go into some really tough financial times for local authorities, we're going to have to think again for future years about how we can sustain services."

But the council is planning to make savings by cutting its use of agency staff and working with the NHS to care for people in their own homes.

A consultation for residents opened on Friday and closes on 19 December.

The authority will set its budget for 2023/24 on 14 February.