The budget proposals have divided Kirklees political party leaders.
This is what they make of the budget plans, which will go out to public consultation.
Clr ANDREW COOPER , Newsome, leader of the Green Party and Valley Independents, said: “There could be anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 jobs going at the council in coming years – each and every one of them is an individual tragedy.
“That is the loss of an income and there’s also going to be a huge impact to the local economy as a result.
“I think the Tories and Lib Dems have an awful lot to answer for.
“Local authorities have taken a much bigger hit than any other government service, yet the services run by local authorities are the ones people experience and depend upon on a daily basis.
“And what’s incredibly short-sighted is that we don’t know what’s coming from one year to the next.
“How can the council operate for the future when cuts are imposed almost on a whim by Eric Pickles?”
Clr Cooper said the changes to road safety and social care for adults, children and people with a disabilities were of greatest concern.
Clr MEHBOOB KHAN, Greenhead, Labour and council leader, said: “By working on a one-year budget now – and proposing the use of some reserves – we can effectively take more time over some of the major decisions we are expecting for the following two years.
“We started this process by reducing senior management by 50% and have so far managed to cut costs without hugely impacting services. However, big changes will be needed over the next three years if we are to balance the books.
“This is the biggest challenge faced by local government in the north of the country for a lifetime, but while we have to reduce services in line with our reduction in government funding, I still have to focus on the ways we can prosper in the future.”
Clr ROBERT LIGHT, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Conservative leader, said: “I don’t think any new ideas are coming from the current leadership.
“The real picture will emerge over the next few months. As a group the Conservatives are discussing our own proposals, but I think it’s right to see what the public makes of this.
“My one big concern is that everything seems to be centralising to Huddersfield – if Dewsbury does get anything it’s a satellite office.”
Asked if he thought the government should give Kirklees more money, Clr Light added: “Every local authority would say they needed more money and they are probably right, the issue is not how much you’ve got but how you spend it.”
“I got a glossy leaflet from the council in my morning post, I appreciate it’s chicken feed but they’re still wasting money.”
Clr KATH PINNOCK, Cleckheaton, Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Mehboob Khan and David Sheard (deputy leader) were talking about the severity of the cuts at Full Council last week, but there is nothing in these proposals to deal with the long term severity.
“Either they were over-egging the state of the problem or they’ve not dealt with it.
“The other area of concern is that we’re not going to have Area Committees anymore.
“In the Spen Valley we work with community groups and give them vital funding which means they can run events and get match funding to bring money into Kirklees.
“Many of the groups we work with are volunteer-run and if we cannot help them I’m worried about how they can operate.
“I agree local government has taken a larger share of the cuts than many other government services and from my point of view the last cut was a cut too far.
“Only last night I spoke to a former minister to lobby for change.”
