Bolton’s 500 grit bins WILL continue to be filled

A council will continue to fill more than 500 grit bins after reversing planned spending cuts. The service had been threatened with the axe by Bolton Council in budget cut proposals put forward by the authority for the upcoming year.

However, the grit bin serive, along with some other planned cuts have now been reprieved. Other proposals now dropped are reducing the number of environmental health officers and ending support for events in the town centre run by other organisations.

Among services that would receive a boost are street cleaning and litter-picking, removal of waste and fly-tipping, free collections of bulky waste, pest control and environmental health. More money has also been found to support green groups and volunteer organisations.

A proposal to introduce parking charges on council land will also be reviewed. If approved, proposed cuts of over £110,000 would be dropped entirely, while others would be reduced by more than £320,000. The Labour-run authority said the improved financial position follows a more generous government settlement than anticipated, including a children’s social care prevention grant of £2.1m and a recovery grant of £9.2m.

The council plans to use the majority of the additional funding to cover the rapidly rising costs of social care for adults. A proposal to put some of the additional funding towards the cost of children’s social care will also be considered.

The council said financial challenges remain, with growing demand for services combined with rising costs forcing the council to make savings of £7.8m, down from an original target of £8.2m. If approved by the council’s cabinet next week, the final revised budget proposals will be considered at a meeting of the full council in