Job losses and collection charges could rise amid cuts

Job losses and a rise in some collection charges are among the measures a council is planning to plug a £4.3m spending gap.

Gloucester City Council has requested emergency government funding after overspending its budget for several years.

Council leaders said that all essential services will continue as normal, but finances had been affected by higher interest on borrowing and reduced income due to delays in completing The Forum development.

But Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre said he was "appalled" by the news, and "disappointed they did not raise this with me as soon as they became aware of the extent of the damage".

In a post on social media, he said that he has "spoken to colleagues in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to make the case for supporting [the council]".

"The coming weeks and months are likely to be difficult for our city. If I am honest, I am angry about the chaos and anxiety this news will cause," he added.

Council chiefs found they were £1.5m worse off than previously thought in September after doing their accounts manually following a cyber attack in 2021 which crippled its systems.

As a result the accounts were not audited - which meant "hidden" overspends from 2022-2024 had put them in a "perilous" position.

The authority has now had to place some members of staff in culture and community engagement teams at risk of redundancy or notify them that their contracts will not be renewed.

Some of the other cuts being considered include ending the lease with English Heritage for Blackfriars Priory, reducing opening days of the city museum, reducing staffing in the community well-being team and reduced support for some festivals and events.

The council is also considering raising costs for green and bulky waste collections.

Councillor Declan Wilson, the council's deputy leader, described the potential cuts as "extremely difficult decisions, but they are necessary to protect essential services and secure the council's future".

The council is expected to ask central government for between £12.5m and £17.5m as a way to avoid effectively becoming bankrupt.

Local authorities cannot technically go bankrupt but can issue a section 114 notice, which means they would not be able to commit to any new spending.

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