Councils and charities feeling the squeeze | Letters
by Letters from on (#2ME45)
Tony Greaves, deputy leader of Pendle borough council, says its basic services are now at risk; while Andrew Purkis calls on John Harris to keep on giving
In areas with both county and district councils, districts are under huge stress (Cuts decimating services, research finds, 25 April). Here in Pendle, in the Lancashire Pennines, our spending ability in the 10 years up to 2020 is being slashed by about half. With a net budget of about 14m, we face another 5m of cuts in the next three years.
In 2010, we employed 450 people, a number that is now down to about 260. We have cut all useful but non-essential jobs, slashed the top management structure and pay, and seen many staff take a voluntary cut in working hours. We have refinanced some of our main buildings, turning dearer rents into cheaper mortgages.
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