Brutal £11m council cuts revealed

Full extent of cuts affecting children's centres. libraries, buses, roads, disabled children and mental health services unveiled

THERE will be cuts to libraries, children’s centres and funding for disabled children and increases to car parking charges as West Berkshire Council looks to save £11m in 2016/17.

The council is also looking to scrap funding for CCTV cameras in Newbury and Thatcham and the rest of the district– and instead ask parishes to pay for them.

Four children's centres are set to close -at South Newbury, Thatcham (Lower Way), East Downlands, and Calcot – so the council can save £300,000.

The council is proposing increasing car parking charges in Newbury by up to 50p an hour depending on the length of the stay and there will also be increases to charges at car parks in Thatcham, Theale and Pangbourne.

It is also looking to cut more than £500,000 from its roads maintenance budget.

The public toilets at The Wharf and Pembroke Road in Newbury face closure – unless Newbury Town Council stumps up the £70,000 a year to pay for them.

Funding to a number of bus services will be either withdrawn or reduced, including services from Newbury to Hungerford.

It also intends to halve the funding for both the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services and the Healthy Eating Programme in Schools.

Lollipop ladies will also bear the brunt, with the council looking to cut the service completely in order to save £21,000 a year.

Libraries haven't escaped either - the council is proposing merging Burghfield and Mortimer libraries and reducing the number of mobile libraries to save £90,000.

A full list of proposals can be found by visiting http://info.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=31554

For all the reaction, see this week's Newbury Weekly News, out Thursday.

How will the proposed cuts affect you? Email dan.cooper@newburynews.co.uk