Falkirk Council says £25m savings must be found to balance budget

The council said savings were being identified across "a range of services"

Falkirk Council must make savings of £25m in the next year in order to balance its £330m net revenue budget, the local authority said.

A reduction in the number of Support for Learning staff and an increase in school meal charges will be among the cost-cutting measures.

It said savings were being identified across "a range of services".

Council leader Craig Martin said the savings were "without a doubt going to impact locally."

Mr Martin said: "We have done everything we can to identify the highest at risk groups and protect them as far as possible.

"But when you are faced with year-on-year reductions in government funding and the freezing of council tax, it is inevitable that some services will be reduced or removed completely.

"We have involved the public and communities in our budget consultation over what areas they see are priorities and where services should be protected.

"However, it hasn't always been possible to achieve this."

School meal charges

Revised eligibilty critera for social work adult services will save £500,000, and £200,000 will be saved by reducing youth employment services.

Residual waste will be collected every four weeks instead of three, saving £150,000.

Reducing the numbers of Support for Learning Staff will save £763,000 and school meal charges will increase by 10p.

Mr Martin said: "With around three quarters of our budget being spent across education and social work, there isn't an option but to take a close look at areas of spending across these services.

"We fund dozens of local organisations and community groups to help them support local activities on the ground and while we have preserved funding for many of these groups, some will see a reduction in the amount of support they receive."