A CASH-strapped council already in “dire straits” has warned of further cuts following a “disappointing” local government settlement.

Cllr Elaine Atkinson, leader of the Borough of Poole, said they will have to consider cutting services in the wake of another cut in Government funding.

“It is disappointing,” she said. “We are already in dire straits.

“We do have to set a balanced budget and that may mean cutting things that are precious to people. Our first priority is to maintain services to the vulnerable.”

She said the council would be almost £5.5million worse off in 2015/16, only £300,000 worse than they had predicted, however they were now £1m away from a balanced budget.

“We will be seeking an urgent meeting with the minister, we have already got MP Robert Syms onto that,” she said.

Poole was the third worst funded local authority in the country she said and still had to pay £1.7m back to redistribute around the country while the two lowest funded did not.

There was also bad news for Bournemouth, prompting council leader John Beesley to claim that maintaining frontline services was now a tougher task than ever before.

Cllr Beesley said its cash grant was going to reduce by £8.6m or 13.6 per cent.

The amount of money the council receives from the Government has been reducing each year since 2010, with the council now getting half of what it received in 2010.

Cllr Beesley said: “It's very difficult, there's no question about it. You can't lose half of your government funding and get extra responsibilities to boot without it creating pressures.

“It's a struggle. I'm hopeful we will be able to protect frontline services in the year ahead, but it's too soon to say specifically because we're still working on the budget.

“It's the most challenging budget round that I've ever faced and officers that have been in public service for a long time say they can't recall a period like we're facing at the moment.”

Cllr Robert Gould, leader of Dorset County Council, said their settlement was broadly in line with their expectations and they would be focussing on finding different ways of working to try and balance the books.

“It's not as simple as just cutting services or losing jobs,” he said.

'Prioritise services' 

The past three years has seen Bournemouth council plough £16million from its reserves into adult social care and children's social services. Cllr Beesley said they would continue to prioritise these services.

He said the council would also try and strike the right balance between providing services residents expect and growing the town's economy. “We've got a long-term role as well as providing services,” he said. “We've resisted the challenge of cutting services but it's very, very difficult.

“It would be nice to get a bit of acknowledgement from government as to how very far local government has moved over the past few years. It's by far and away the most efficient and transformed part of public services.”