South Ribble Council had agreed to re-introduce a weekly service to collect kitchen waste from homes across the borough.

But its grant settlement from the Government for the next financial year was one of the lowest in Lancashire – meaning some services will have to be cut to balance the books.

As well as not going ahead with the £208,000 scheme to collect food waste, grants to community organisations will be halved to £18,000.
And the South Ribble Citizens Advice Bureau will have its funding cut from 2009.

The council's cabinet members, who approved the changes, said they were necessary due to a £71,000 shortfall in the concessionary travel scheme and the £140,000 ploughed into street cleaning, which was a manifesto pledge for the new Conservative administration.

Extra cash will also be spent on new playgrounds in Penwortham, Much Hoole and Higher Walton and improvements to Withy Grove Park in Bamber Bridge.

Money will also be ploughed into the proposals to regenerate Hough Lane and Leyland town centre.

Coun Colin Clark, cabinet member with responsibility for finance and resources, said: "The Government has dealt us a shocking blow this year with the disgraceful amount of grant settlement it has promised for South Ribble and, consequently, we have had some very difficult decisions to make over this year's budget."

The council received just £7.2m from the Government to cover all its services – an increase of just 1.5% on last year, which Coun Clark said means the authority has lost money in real terms.

The cabinet has been forced to propose an increase of 3.8%.
Coun Clark said: "I am glad to say that, despite all of this, we have managed to keep our proposed tax rise below inflation to just 14p a week or less for the vast majority of local people."

The final budget and council tax rise will be set when the full council holds its next meeting on March 5 at Leyland Civic Centre.