COUNCIL cuts worth £25m could be on the agenda for Oxfordshire next year, after spending was already slashed because of the coronavirus.

Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet, its most senior councillors, will discuss next year's budget for the first time when they meet on Tuesday (October 13).

The council's financial staff have predicted that as much as £25m might have to be cut from the council's spending next year.

But the council's leader has made assurances that Government announcements on the country's finances are 'key parts of the jigsaw' for detailed budget planning, and may mean less is cut.

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The Government is due to announce the result of a national spending review at some point this autumn, which will give councils an idea of how much grant funding they may receive in the future.

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said: "Currently we are missing key parts of the jigsaw in terms of how much grant money will be provided and how those key formulas that govern how funding is divided up between councils will impact on us in Oxfordshire."

Mr Hudpeth added that Covid 19 had created 'an extra layer of complexity' for the council and all other public bodies.

Out of the cuts predicted for next year's council budget, £10m was already due to be made prior to the global pandemic as part of Oxfordshire's medium term financial planning.

But a report to the cabinet said 'savings targets of £25m for 2021/22' had been set, due to the 'potential pressures' which Covid 19 could add to council spending.

The councillor responsible for overseeing Oxfordshire's finances, cabinet member David Bartholomew said the council would try to 'minimise impacts on services', if it had to make cuts.

He added: “We may well have to make some new savings in 2021/22 and beyond but at this early stage it is difficult to be precise with any confidence in the way that we have been able to do at the start of the budget setting process in previous financial years."

There is no information on the detail of what savings the council would make yet.

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Last year, the councils overall budget for day to day services was £475m: by comparison £15m is very small.

But the council's Labour opposition leader Liz Brighouse said that any cuts to the budget would result in a loss of services.

Mrs Brighouse added: "Local Government up and down the country is screaming for Central Government to honour its pledge to fund our Covid spending."

Oxfordshire County Council has already agreed to cut £15m of spending from its current budget.

This has led to job recruitment pauses and less money spent on research into reopening children's support services.