A NEWLY-published report accuses Dudley Council of making U-turns on savings that could help the authority avoid going broke 

The document, from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), is set to be presented to the council’s cabinet on Wednesday October 23 and offers some clues about where the next cuts might be.

The authority is facing a financial crisis which needs to be tackled urgently according to CIPFA.

The council has already introduced measures to save cash and strict spending controls as well as making changes to raise revenue.

CIPFA says much more needs to be done and highlighted how council leaders changed their minds on previous planned savings.

The report said: “The council has a record of making ‘U-turns’ in relation to decisions, and this has been the case with previously agreed savings proposals, for example the reversal of £2.3m of savings for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 in relation to libraries, household waste recycling centre operating hours, surface car parks and overnight car parking charges that were reversed in the 2023-24 ‘mini budget’ agreed by cabinet in July 2023.”

With no local elections in 2025, there is speculation within the council that politicians will look to cram as many difficult decisions as possible into next year’s budget, leaving more than a year before the borough goes to the polls.

Nothing is off the table as far as cuts are concerned and there is gossip in the corridors of power that library services could be a front runner for changes.

In June 2023 the council’s plan to slash £1.5m from library budgets prompted fears of library closures sparking a wave of protest and the collection of 3,000 names on a petition opposing the scheme.

The council backed down claiming an improved financial situation meant cuts could be avoided.

Dudley’s libraries cost the council around £4.2m per year and are currently managed by a charitable social enterprise called Greenwich Leisure Limited which has the contract until November 2030.