East End facing £60m cuts blamed on government’s tighter purse-strings

Cuts of £60 million in council public spending could hit London’s deprived East End over the next three years.

Ongoing reductions to funding from Whitehall mean further savings with local authorities having to set balanced budgets, Tower Hamlets’ Labour Mayor John Biggs warned today.

Public consultations have begun on proposals he has unveiled this week.

They involve more services to be switched online to the internet, rather than dealt with by counter staff—which could signal job losses in the New Year at the authority’s One Stop shops.

Other cuts could include charging more for some services and reducing grants and bursaries to levels “similar to other local authorities”.

“I want front line services protected,” Mayor Biggs said. “We are committed to protecting the vulnerable from wider austerity measures—but we have more to do.”

Management roles could also face being reduced with ‘back room’ operations made more streamlined.

The public consultations opened yesterday run until November 9, which are being considered at January’s council cabinet meeting.