90 jobs at risk under Walsall Council's £13m cuts
The cost of school meals will rise, public toilets will be shut and garden waste go uncollected for five months of the year under a cost-cutting budget proposed by Walsall Council.
Almost 90 council jobs are also at risk under the draft budget to save £13 million in the next financial year.
Fees for stalls at Walsall market could go up and there might also be shake-up of the green spaces services, with weekend park patrols ended and fewer agency staff cutting grass in the summer.
A public consultation has now been launched on the proposals, with council chiefs admitting: "These are tough times".
The local authority must save £70m over the next four years. Finance chief Chris Towe said job losses may be inevitable in 2013-14 but the authority would try to minimise compulsory redundancies.
"At the moment we estimate there may potentially be 88 redundancies as things stand in our budget proposals," he said.
"We will do all we can to minimise compulsory redundancies by seeking volunteers."
But he added that the final figures will become clear only when the budget is approved in February.
Under the proposed cost-cutting, school meals will rise by 5p and public toilets in Pelsall, Rushall, Willenhall, Aldridge, Brownhills and Blakenall Heath will shut.
