MORE than £6 million worth of cuts to adult social care, children's centres and culture were given the go-ahead at a full council meeting last night.

Funding for social services, libraries, road maintenance, grants to voluntary organisations and South Hill Park were in the firing line as Bracknell Forest Council's executive members agreed to drastically impose savings in order to balance the borough's books.

The council had been forced to find more than £11m worth of savings in this year's budget after central government left it with just seven weeks to cut costs after slashing the amount they were due to provide via a revenue support grant at the end of last year.

After agreeing £4.5m in savings and the use of £5.161m of reserves, the council agreed to consult on an additional £1.9m worth of cuts.

Adult social care will take a £1m hit over the next two years and housing support for older people will be cut by £100,000, while public health will lose over £360,000 worth of funding.

Road maintenance will be hit by £200,000 in savings and the circular 157 and 158 service around Bracknell was halved to just once every hour.

The Alders and Chestnuts Children's Centre area will offer reduced services, there will no longer be training for early years staff and fewer youth worker posts which will mean a lack of overall youth services.

Home-Start will also take a 50 per cent reduction of £30,000 of its budget, with it to lose £10k over the next year and £20k the following year.

REDZ performing arts sessions at The Spot in Sandhurst, will lose it £4,500 funding, KIDS Young Carers, who help young carers and their families in Bracknell Forest will no longer receive £30,000 and South Hill Park will no longer receive £13,200 for its arts sessions for young people.

Labour councillor Mary Temperton put forward an amendment for Home-Start to keep its £30,000, £17,000 kept for young people's services and £23,000 kept towards childminders, but fellow councillors did not accept this.

The council's executive member for children, young people and learning, Cllr Gareth Barnard, said: "I don't doubt for one minute Cllr Temperton's passion and enthusiasm for early intervention but we have got to think very carefully about the impact of this amendment in the long term.

"I am supporting the proposal this evening as I believe with all the changes we have made as a council with our provisions we now better understand what is needed and how to use each and every pound wisely."

Pick up a copy of next week's Bracknell News to find out more.