A HUGE programme of cuts to council services was debated at a public meeting in Tottington.

Cllr Mike Connolly, leader of Bury Council, delivered a presentation on the council’s 2015/16 savings programme at the Ramsbottom and Tottington Township Forum last Thursday (November 13).

Consultation on how the authority should cut almost £16 million from next year’s budget was launched on November 6 and will run until January 17 before the budget is decided on February 25.

At the meeting, Cllr Connolly said £3.2 million will be saved by making staffing changes, £862,000 from improved recycling and £1.32 million on procurements.

Cllr Connolly, who said in the last five years Bury Council has lost £54 million from its budget and has seen 400 staff leave, added: “The scale of the cuts we have to deliver is enormous and will have a serious impact on the council and the services we can deliver.”

Last week, Unison predicted 100 more jobs would go at Bury Council in this next round of savings.

At the meeting, Falmai Binns, chairman of Bury Rural Inequalities Forum, questioned the leader on how putting more services online would affect people in Affetside, which has poor internet.

She said: “You say the council is looking into electronic delivery of some services, but there are areas of the borough that do not have adequate broadband.”

Mike Owen, Bury Council’s director of resources and regulation, said more digital hotspots will be created in the borough’s towns and internet hubs will be set up in council buildings.

Cllr Dorothy Gunther said Bury Council should be using some of its reserves to ease the blow of funding cuts.

Cllr Connolly responded: “We have £4 million over and above what we need to have in our reserves but the council has a strict set of golden rules on what we can use this money for.”

Cllr Ian Bevan asked whether the cuts would mean parking charges would be implemented in Ramsbottom, but was told by Cllr Connolly this would not be the case.

To view the consultation document and have your say: visit tinyurl.com/buryplanforchange2015; call 0161 253 5696; e-mail budget2015@bury.gov.uk; or write to Budget 201516, Bury Council, Knowsley Street, Bury, BL9 0SW.