HUGE Bury Council cuts were due to be rubber stamped at a critical local authority meeting.

Protesters from Bury Action Group announced they would be lobbying outside Bury Town Hall last night before councillors deliberated over the proposed budget cuts of £12.2 million.

The Bury Times was told councillors were also expected to agree to raising rents for the borough’s 8,273 council houses by 6.52 per cent, as well as a council tax freeze for the financial year 2011 to 2012.

Under the proposed cuts, announced by the local authority earlier this year, refuse and youth services would be among those worst affected.

Other budget savings proposals already outlined mean grey household waste bins would be collected every fortnight instead of weekly and the future of the council’s Local Area Partnerships coming under threat.

Council leader Cllr Bob Bibby has already told the Bury Times that while he would do all he could to protect frontline services and jobs, there would inevitably be “some extremely difficult decisions to make due to the scale of the savings we have been forced to make.”

The outcome of last night’s meeting was surrounded by uncertainty, given that Bury is a hung council with no party in overall control.

Speaking before the planned demonstration outside the Town Hall, Bury Action Group spokesman George Heron said the proposed cuts would directly affect some of the most vulnerable people in the borough.

He added: “We do not believe the cuts have the consent of the people of Bury.

“Members of the public packed out last week’s pre-budget scrutiny meeting to lobby and challenge the cuts, leaving standing room only.

“Our demonstration has the support of the Unite union.”

Bury has already announced it will end its sponsorship of the town’s football club nearly a decade after it began to support the Shakers financially.

Local authority bosses have also revealed it is pulling out of the Britain in Bloom competition unless it can get “additional” backing.