Tuesday 1st February 2011 - PRESS RELEASECouncil works with residents to minimise cuts to services- Majority of youth services to be retained- Street cleansing services to be fully maintained - Library savings postponed- Community halls savings also postponed to develop planHounslow Council has announced it intends to minimise cuts to frontline services after residents offered their views in the public budget consultation. Nearly 7,000 residents completed the consultation, which offered people in Hounslow the opportunity to share their views on the council services they felt needed saving the most after central government cut funding to the borough by £60m over four years. As a result of public views, the council’s Executive has put forward revised proposals that would ensure youth centre activities in Hanworth, Hogarth, Southville and the Hub will remain open and fully functional, with scaled-down savings taken from administrative roles instead. Street cleansing services will also be retained in their entirety after residents declared how much they valued these services, with 58% disagreeing with the proposal to reduce levels. The public response to libraries was also positive, with 57% of residents wanting to retain all the sites. As a result of the public budget consultation, Hounslow Council has proposed that immediate savings can be delivered by deferring some book purchases, minimising the risk of library closure. In the meantime, a more specific library consultation is underway which will inform the longer term strategy. Following the consultation, the Executive also recommended that cuts to community halls were delayed. This will allow detailed options for transferring the halls to community groups to be developed.The full list of proposals, including the revised options, will be put forward to the meeting of executive members on 8 February at the Civic Centre in Hounslow, with the final budget decision being made by all councillors on 1 March.Cllr Jagdish Sharma, leader of Hounslow Council said: “The near 7,000 responses we received were vital in helping us to make the tough choices about where we can save money after central government cut £60 million from our budget over the next four years."The strong responses offered about a number of the necessary savings proposals have shown us areas where our residents simply don’t want to see cuts or a reduction in services. We are committed to listening to the people of Hounslow and making sure your views are heard and these services are protected as much as possible. “I wish we didn’t have to make these cuts to services, but the response we have received from residents has been staggering. I would like to thank each and every person who returned the form and let you know your views have been heard and we are trying our hardest to protect the services which clearly matter to you. “We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable residents in Hounslow, and with the public’s help I believe we can do this, despite the huge cuts to government funding we are faced with.”
Paul Fisher ● 3535d