IT was a night of cuts for Kirklees Council.

The authority agreed to freeze council tax for another year – but running costs were slashed by nearly £16m with libraries and children’s centres among the victims.

However, a last-minute compromise has spared monthly glass collections from the chop. Public toilets threatened with closure could also remain open.

Kirklees leader Clr Mehboob Khan warned at last night’s meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall: “There are cuts and pain in this budget. There are cuts that will affect frontline services.”

Overall running costs for 2012/13 will be down to £350m after councillors agreed overall savings for next year of £15.7m, when factors like inflation and the increasing demand for some services are taken into account.

Budget changes agreed last night were aimed at making huge savings. They decided to:

CUT the number of Kirklees employees from the current full-time equivalent of 13,057 to 12,381 next year.

CUT £425,000 from the children’s centres budget.

CUT the libraries budget by £622,000 in 2012/13, including removing paid staff from centres in Golcar, Slaithwaite, Honley, Lepton, Kirkheaton, Denby Dale and Shepley.

CUT £40,000 from the fund which helps young people with disabilities take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

CUT £1.2m from the care budget through efficiencies including early interventions to prevent the need for long-term support.

CUT the £58,000 night marshals programme in Huddersfield and Batley town centres.

CUT opening times for swimming pools to save £31,000 by reducing opening hours at swimming pools.

CUT £102,000 from the museums budget by reducing the number of staff and closing Oakwell Hall in Birstall and the Red House Museum in Gomersal on winter weekdays.

CUT the 24 brass band concerts in local parks, saving £10,000

CUT the number of highways staff to save £333,000 next year.

CUT landscape maintenance in Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Batley town centres, saving £61,000.

CUT number of parking attendants, saving £62,000.

A series of other moves were also approved to save cash – including charging for previously free services.

Council staff will be moved out of offices the Galpharm Stadium to save £200,000.

Oakmead on Lidget Street will be closed to save £100,000.

An extra £470,000 will be generated by charging people more for home care, while £50,000 will be brought in by charging £1 for lunch at the council’s day care services. The move will affect more than 300 people.

Council-run nurseries could see £165,000 of savings by merging Chestnuts at the Chestnut Centre with Tiddlywinks at the Deighton Centre and increasing childcare fees.

Increasing bereavement services charges by 1% will bring in an extra £43,000.

But councillors agreed to spare several areas from cuts which had been proposed by Kirklees officers.

Officials had wanted to save £234,000 a year by abolishing the monthly kerbside glass collections.

Councillors agreed to spend £100,000 on the service next year until a private sector provider can be found.

Kirklees officers had also planned to close all seven unattended public toilets in the district, including lavatories in Slaithwaite, Honley and Milnsbridge.

Councillors decided to spend £50,000 keeping them open for six months to give villagers time to take over their operation.

A proposed cut to the spending on maintaining and sign-posting public rights of way was also reversed last night.

The deal was reached following an agreement between the minority Labour administration and the opposition Conservatives and Lib Dems.

Tory leader Clr Robert Light said: “I welcome this compromise. With these amendments, my group is happy to allow the budget to be passed.”

The council also agreed to a four-year investment plan last night.

Kirklees will spend £137.21m on capital projects in 2012/13, followed by £109.15m in 2013/14, £75.88m the next year and £74.24m in 2015/16.