THE scope and scale of millions of pounds worth of proposed cuts to Dorset County Council services is laid bare in a critical report published on Wednesday morning.

The paper, which goes to Cabinet next week, says the level of savings needed means it will be impossible to protect all frontline services.

It means some of Dorset’s most vulnerable residents including the elderly, families and people with physical, mental and learning difficulties, could be among the hardest hit.

Libraries, roads, museums, the careers service for 16-19 year olds, street lighting, trading standards and council ‘back office’ staff are also facing cuts.

Leader of the Conservative controlled council, Cllr Angus Campbell, and Cabinet member for Resources, Cllr Spencer Flower, are due to hold a media briefing on the report this afternoon to outline the proposals.

The authority needs to save between £15-£20 million in the next financial year in addition to £10m worth of efficiencies already identified for 2011/2012.

Around 500 county council jobs could be lost in the next financial year, with “substantial expenditure for redundancy compensation payments” needed.

Overall, the council’s budget would fall by 8.9 per cent to £227.7m.

But it’s only the start of what’s likely to be a three-year savings programme with more spending cuts needed up to 2014 – possibly as much as £26m.

There will be a freeze in council tax next year.

The report, authored by chief executive, David Jenkins, and chief financial officer, Paul Kent, suggests that the axe could fall on some day centres for the elderly, on libraries, and in support to families.

Support to the voluntary sector groups in the area of children’s services could be cut too, along with a reduction in expenditure on co-ordination of after-school, holiday, homework and breakfast clubs.

Another controversial area likely to be affected is support to adults with physical, mental and learning difficulties. The report says: “This is the area where there is greatest scope for significant savings.”

Day centres for this client group could be hit and subsidies for transport and hot meals withdrawn – the latter saving £483,000.

In Adult and Community Services more generally, the paper acknowledges there is growing demand across learning disability services and residential care for older people. But closing some day centres could save £861,000.

There may be additional scrutiny of all care packages, all contract agreements with service providers may be revised and all liabilities for new service users challenged.

In Cultural Services, there may be cuts to staff supporting museums, arts and sports grants and reduction in grants to museums.

The report says maintaining a network of 34 libraries “is no longer affordable” and that one proposal is to retain a core council run service while transferring up to half the libraries to communities to run themselves. Stopping spending on some libraries would save £578,300.

Cuts in the number of trading standards officers is likely to impact on food safety issues, criminal investigations and action on tackling rogue traders.

Included in the highway proposals are plans to cut back on routine road maintenance on the least used parts of the network (saving £770,000); turning off street lights and transferring responsibility for some school crossing patrols to community and school volunteers (£200,000).

On road safety, the focus of expenditure is set to be on the No Excuse campaign, with a 28 per cent reduction in funding to the Dorset Road Safe Partnership – which operates the speed cameras.

The proposed cuts will be discussed by the council’s Cabinet next week and then go out for public consultation on local communities.

The report says there will need to be “a shift in the traditional relationships between citizen and state, along the lines of the Big Society.”

As a reminder of the gravity of the situation and the need to make cuts, the report adds the consultation “will not aim to measure the popularity of the proposals,” but to ensure implementation is successful.

All councils ware waiting to hear how much cash they will get from the government for next year. The announcement is due next week.

See Thursday’s Daily Echo for full analysis of the cuts package and reaction.