Middlesbrough Council sets out £12.8m budget cut

Job losses and the closure of libraries and sports facilities have been proposed as cost-cutting measures by Middlesbrough Council.

The moves are part of a bid to save £12.8m over the coming year.

About 120 council jobs face the axe over the next 12 months, and this could to rise to a total of 500 by 2015.

No final decision has been taken, and residents have been invited to comment on the options during a six-week public consultation.

Middlesbrough, which has a Labour majority but is led by Independent mayor Ray Mallon, needs to save a total of £50m over the next four years.

The latest savings are on top of £15m already identified for the current financial year.

The authority, which employs about 10,000 people, said it faced an 8.8% cut in government grants.