The leader of the opposition group at Lichfield District Council has called for a complete rethink of how cuts are tackled across Lichfield and Burntwood.
The local authority’s Fit for the Future programme is still looking at ways to plug a hole in its finances after a reduction in funding from Government.
At a recent meeting of the council’s overview and scrutiny, Conservative leader Mike Wilcox admitted that even less money could be received when new proposals are drawn up in July.
But Labour opposition leader Sue Woodward said a radical rethink was now needed on which services are funded.
“There are real threats to council services,” she said. “But there are also real opportunities for us to go with a completely blank piece of paper and start again by looking at what the priorities are as a district.
“We need to consider what we need to do and what local residents value. Then we can start to build services around those things.
“It’s a better long-term option than continually salami slicing and taking little chunks of money from here and there.
“YEs, there’s a very fine balancing act to perform. But you can’t keep cutting staff and expecting those left to keep on doing more and more without something falling over and fracturing.
“The council can’t just carry on snipping bits of budget without it having an overall effect.”
