Cuts announced as part of plans to freeze council tax

Hounslow Council is also looking to make more voluntary redundancies, with reviews planned across a range of services, and to cut £1m earmarked for roads and pavements.

These are just some of the £8.4m savings, equivalent to nearly five per cent of last year's £180m budget, needed to balance the books.

Residents, businesses and opposition councillors will now be consulted on the spending plans, which are laid out in a report to be discussed at next Tuesday's (November 24) borough council meeting.

Announcing the planned tax freeze this week, council leader Peter Thompson said: "These proposals set out how we could become one of only a few authorities in the country that have been able to freeze council tax for so long.

"We have fallen from having the fifth highest level of council tax in London to 15th, thanks to sound leadership and strong financial controls - and without having an impact on front line services.

"Over the last three years we have been reducing bureaucracy and improving efficiency to keep the level of council tax down. At the same time we've been working hard to improve the levels of service we provide and deliver on the promises we made to residents."

Hounslow is the latest in a line of London councils to announce plans for a tax freeze, as they gear up for May's local elections, with Hammersmith & Fulham proposing a three per cent cut.

A final decision is not due till March, but if the freeze is rubber stamped a typical Band D household in Hounslow would continue to pay £1,090.65, excluding the London Mayor's precept.

The proposed freeze comes despite finance chiefs predicting costs will increase by £10.8m for 2010/11, and a below average increase in the Government grant of 1.5 per cent.

Ruth Cadbury, deputy leader of Hounslow Labour Group, said she was particularly worried about planned cuts to youth services and care for people with disabilities.

"This (council tax freeze) was announced on the day they're due to confirm cuts to Hounslow Language Service," she added.

"The Conservatives said when they were elected there would be no cuts to front line services but clearly there have been. I don't think they can be trusted to spend council tax payers' money.

"There's also no point freezing council tax if charges for other services are going to increase. We've already seen a massive increase in fly-tipping since most people had to pay £25 for the Tidy Town service (which collects unwanted household items)."

WHERE SAVINGS ARE PLANNED

Children's services and lifelong learning - £2,012,000
- end subsidies for schools allowing community groups to use
facilities for free (£102,000)
- end uniform grants for poorest families (£104,000)
- voluntary redundancies and 'restructuring' of services

Community services - £2,245,000
- stop home care staff 'doubling up' on day time visits
(£500,000)
- reduce numbers in residential care (£200,000)

Corporate services - £748,000
- voluntary redundancies, increase income from citizenship and civil partnership ceremonies

Finance - £909,000
- voluntary redundancies, renegotiate contracts

Environment - £2,505,000
- increase parking charges by five per cent (£200,000+)
- reduce planned funding for roads and pavements by
£1,059,000