Hull City Council to shed 600 jobs and raise council tax

Hull City Council has said it plans to cut 600 jobs and raise council tax by 1.95% to tackle its budget deficit.

The new figure includes the previously approved cuts of 240 posts announced last year.

The council said the measures were in response to the five-year reduction in its central government funding, which will drop by £80m by 2015.

The proposals are outlined in a budget document which is to be discussed and voted on next week.

The authority is also reviewing children's Sure Start centres and plans to cut £1m on commissioning services from voluntary groups.

Other savings include the closure of three customer service centres and the increase in the cost of meals on wheels by almost 20%.

Black bin collections will also be changed to once a fortnight, which the council said would save £1m a year.

As well as the 600 job losses, the authority is proposing limiting staff wage rises to 1% over the next two years.

In a statement in the budget document the council said: "We will seek to work closely with the Trade Unions to minimise compulsory redundancies, and use targeted voluntary early termination, to assist volunteers."