THE future of school crossing patrols, community libraries and youth services are all on the line as Wirral Council desperately struggles to tackle an ever-widening funding gap and save £18 million next year.

Despite the council having already saved more than £100m, chief executive Graham Burgess today launched a public consultation on budget options designed to contribute towards further savings of £45m needed by 2017.

The latest cuts come as the authority sees its grant from central government cut by 57% over the last five years.

Wirral has already identified around £15.5m of savings through a “radical” transformation of how it operates, something Mr Burgess says will “limit the impact on frontline services”.

A public consultation containing a further £4m of service cutback options was launched today, Monday, of which the council needs to make £2.5m savings from.

Mr Burgess said this will give the public a “real choice” over which options they want the council to take forward and which they want to be retained.

“The council has to make some extremely difficult decisions due to the cuts that have been imposed upon us and it does not get any easier,” explained Mr Burgess.

Today’s proposals come following the authority’s Future Council project – which saw the authority’s 81 services looked at in detail.

Mr Burgess added: “We have reviewed and strongly challenged how every service is delivered and as an organisation are now undertaking the biggest transformation in our history.

“We have protected as much as possible the front line services vulnerable residents rely on and have managed to drastically minimise the impact on them by agreeing major changes to how the council operates.”

Around 500 council jobs have already been axed as part of cost-cutting measures, with the first group of staff already leaving.

Although further job losses cannot yet be confirmed, the chief executive said it is not possible to rule them out.

He added: “The impact on our staff will be significant, though we will seek to reduce our workforce through volunteers wherever possible.

“The staff who remain will be required to continue delivering services but with less resources than before.”

The chief executive’s proposals – which will be studied by the authority’s cabinet and full council in December – are wide ranging.

A number of proposals included are ones previously consulted on, although Mr Burgess says there are differences.

  • The removal of school crossing patrols is one such proposal that sparked outrage when it was put forward last year but Mr Burgess said it has been amended this time around.

He said: “Last year’s proposal was to remove all school crossing patrols and ask schools to pay for them.

“This time we’re only focusing on those patrols that are on either puffin or pelican crossings which are far safer and there will be a full risk assessment before we do it.

“That still leaves more than 100 school crossing patrols which will still be staffed by our staff.”

  • A further option to introduce car parking charges at Fort Perch Rock and countryside parks across the borough is also included, a proposal that was rejected last year by the public.

Mr Burgess said: “We are saying the money raised in the car park will be reinvested in the maintenance of those parks.

“Unfortunately some of the options we have to consider again because clearly as the grant keeps reducing we have no choice but to look again at the services that we don’t need to provide by law.”

  • Changes to the way Wirral’s libraries operate is another that is sure to spark outrage within the community.

A proposal to shut 11 of Wirral’s libraries was abandoned late in 2009 on the eve of the publication of an inquiry into the closures.

But today’s options include one that will ensure they all remain open, albeit by slashing their opening hours.

While nine libraries – including central libraries and those housing One Stop Shops – will be unaffected but 15 community libraries will have their hours reduced to just two days a week.

Mr Burgess said: “We could do what other authorities are doing and close them and knock down the building but what we hope is that by doing this, we can encourage volunteers to come in, community groups to come in.

“By doing this the buildings remain an asset for the future.”

Opening hours would alternate two or three days per week, 10 am to 2pm and would be implemented so that on any given day, at least one library in a constituency area would be open.

  • Four youth centres could be closed as part of the cost-saving measures, with the location of the remaining four – Birkenhead, West Kirby, Wallasey and Eastham – reviewed.
     
  • Charges could also be introduced for using council allotments, bowling greens and football pitches.
     
  • The removal of 10 public toilets. This council will seek out community organisations that may wish to take on the full delivery, maintenance and operational costs of running the facilities in their area. 
     
  • Changes to the council tax discount for 7,000 pensioners over 70 in lower band properties, making savings of £600,000.

Tory leader Cllr Jeff Green said: "These proposals are petty and vindictive considering Wirral Council has £80 million sitting in reserves.

"Labour councillors tried last year to pull the plug on school crossing patrols. The public, parents and Head Teachers said no then so why try again?

"In fact, a number of these budget options are re-hashed from items rejected in previous consultations and given what appears to many as a bogus consultation over The Lyndale Special School closure our residents our fast losing faith and trust in any ‘consulting’ done by this Labour run council; they will believe decisions have already been made."

He continued: “It was announced last week that the leader of the council believed the council should start looking at reducing the number of councillors by a third. What is he afraid of? Why has he changed his mind? Why doesn’t it appear in the list?

"£80 million in reserves, £100,000 on the town hall’s lift, £26,000 on a new carpet, £20,000 on ‘executive toilets’ and a whopping £1 million on the so-called ‘Downton Abbey’ staircases demonstrates just how far apart this Labour Administration’s priorities are from those of the hardworking families of Wirral. "

Lib Dem Councillor Stuart Kelly said: “These are mostly a rehash of previously rejected options such as removal of school crossing patrols, car parking charges at the country parks, removal of grit bins, and closing public toilets.

“I am also concerned to see libraries under threat despite promises to the contrary and the decimation of the remaining youth ‘satellite’ centres.

“People have rejected these options only recently, is the council going to be asking until it gets what it considers the right answer from people or will it just ignore the feedback it gets just as it did with the Lyndale School consultation."

Trade unions have been consulted with further talks due to take place over the coming months.

The consultation closes on October 31.

All feedback will then be collated for councillors to consider when they set the budget for the coming financial year in December.

To have your say on the council’s proposals, visit wirral.gov.uk/futurecouncil or visit any One Stop Shop or library to access the online survey.