Dudley Council accused of lacking leadership as rows break out over £27m cuts

Draft budget proposals, including a rise in burial fees and streets and parks being maintained less often, were approved by the decision-making cabinet last night.

The cuts equal £27m of the £57m in savings the council needs to find by 2017/18 and around 300 jobs are at risk.

But in the bad-tempered early stages of the meeting, Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the Conservative opposition, said the council lacked leadership and accused the cabinet members of not answering the questions put to them.

He also said the authority should consider using different ways of delivering its services to help make the all-important savings, pointing to the fact that there is currently a £1m overspend in children's social services due to the rising number of youngsters being taken into care.

"Time and time again we are being told it is out of control. Families and children will need help from the authority and this is not being addressed," Councillor Harley said.

"The figures change every time we have a cabinet meeting. We are told that it is not a problem, but it's clear that things need to change. There is a complete lack of leadership."

Councillor Harley also suggested that cabinet members would 'pass the buck' on to council officers.

But Councillor Tim Crumpton, children's services boss, said that was not the case.

"There will be no passing of the buck, quite the opposite, as we will work very hard with the officers to make sure we keep the children safe," he said.

"From July to September there were 373 children in 229 families referred to social services, a rise of 100 compared to the previous three months.

"That is what we have to deal with. There were 269 children who had further investigations, and less than 10 per cent of these children have actually been taken into care."

Councillor Pete Lowe, deputy leader of the council, presented the budget report as Councillor Stuart Turner, the finance boss, was absent. Councillor Lowe said the cuts to government grants had had a major effect.

"We all know the impact of the Revenue Support Grant to be able to provide these services and that has seen a 28 per cent fall," he said. "If our council tax was to be alongside the national average this council would receive £15.5m in order to address some of these needs. We know this impact of local government cuts is as a result of national government revenue."

Councillor Mike Wood, opposition member for finance, said after the meeting that he had put forward a question over the £1m children's services overspend but was not satisfied with the response from Councillor Lowe.

"It had in that report about the £1m and I asked a question, which they wouldn't answer," he said.

"I have asked questions in the past and they haven't answered but have said they will send us a written report. I asked a question in the last council meeting and still haven't had a response." A small number of people – around six – gathered outside to protest about the cuts, which also include changes to youth support services and Dudley Performing Arts.

Marie Taylor, national chair of the community and youth workers section at UNITE, said: "We are opposed to cuts in public services and we are particularly opposed to the proposals which significantly change how the youth service is delivered.

"I think members of the council are not aware of what the officers are proposing and what the young people of Dudley want to see.

"They have got significantly fewer opportunities than they did in 2010 and youth workers help them cope with the changes they are faced with."

Also among the proposals to save money are plans to turn off some street lights after midnight to reduce energy bills, saving £100,000 by 2018, while maintenance of parks around the borough would be reduced to claw back £265,000.

Increasing burial fees is expected to bring in £520,000 in the next three years, while savings will also be made by transferring the management of the New Bradley Hall care home in Kingswinford to a private firm.

Savings of £22.9m are proposed for 2015/16, moving up to £25.3m by 2016/17 and £27.4m by 2017/18. But the council has warned it faces a deficit of approaching £30m by 2017/18 if additional savings are not found.

More than 700 positions have been axed during the past four years. Among the job losses are management positions at the borough's children's centres.

By 2018, the council will need to have made a total of £117m of savings since 2011.