Suffolk County Council announces £38.6m of cuts

The Suffolk County County savings include a £10.2m cut in adult care services in 2014-15

Jobs and services could be cut at Suffolk County Council as the authority struggles to meet a £38.6m shortfall in its budget for 2014-15.

The council's cabinet will be asked to support a £472.2m draft budget on Tuesday.

The savings being looked at include a £1.5m cut in the children's centres budget and a £10.2m cut in adult care.

A new waste incinerator at Great Blakenham means the council is saving £8.2m in landfill costs.

'Monitoring staffing'

The adult care savings include a £6.4m cut in the care purchasing budget.

This could mean an increase in charges for some services and a greater use of telecare - offering remote care of elderly and physically less able people, who would be able to remain in their homes rather than go into care.

The draft budget also says the council will save £9m from the ending of the 10-year contract with services firm CSD in May 2014.

CSD provided the council with financial administration, IT and personnel support.

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council, said: "Due to our diminishing budget, it is our priority to continuously monitor staffing arrangements across Suffolk County Council.

"There has been a 40% decrease in corporate staffing in the past four years, and although we don't currently have firm plans to reduce services or staff, this will need to be looked at as part of the wider savings made corporately, without compromising on the quality of our public services."