THE leader of Bournemouth Council has promised “significant and radical” changes to save money over the next four years.

Cllr Peter Charon made a budget statement at the first council meeting since the Conservatives increased their majority in the local elections.

Plans include job cuts, new technology, better deals when buying goods, and more outsourcing to the private sector.

He wants to keep council tax increases to 2.5 per cent or less for each of the next four years – despite a 15.3 per cent cut in the government’s grant.

To achieve that goal, he wants to make the council more “efficient and accountable”, while still investing in key areas like social care.

The council recently signed a £150 million deal to outsource four departments to the private company Mouchel and Mr Charon said he would expand upon that.

“Our medium term financial plan shows a challenge of about £10m for the next two years,” he said.

“There is only one way to rise to that challenge, and that is ever more efficient ways of working and delivery on our front line services.

“And for that we will expand on the incremental partnership with our private sector partner.”

He said council employee numbers would continue to drop, “but with a great emphasis on natural wastage and non-filling of vacancies, with the fewest compulsory redundancies possible”.

He also said the council would be an “active partner” in the government’s attempt to push through commissioning of NHS services to GP consortia.

The biggest project he revealed was the planned £45m buyout from the government’s housing subsidy scheme.

He said this would give the council the financial independence to invest in new properties but said it was “largest sum of borrowing ever entertained by the council”.

Overall, Cllr Charon said, the council’s transformation plan would “deliver massive and sustainable savings, the like of which Bournemouth council has never witnessed before.”

New cabinet

Leader – Peter Charon

Deputy Leader – John Beesley

Service development – Anne Filer

Transport – Michael Filer

Health – Lynda Price

Tourism – Rod Cooper

Education - Nicola Greene

Community – David Smith

Housing – Rob Lawton

Arts – Ian Lancashire