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Bolton is set to be hit by further cuts of almost £2million to its public safety budget this year.
The cuts will hit the so-called “Stronger Communities” budget which includes community safety, measures to combat crime and disorder, community engagement and the voluntary sector.
The decision was approved at a meeting of councillors on March 8, with opposition spokespeople saying that they hope Bolton residents will not be too badly impacted but warning that services may suffer as a result.
Cllr Rabiya Jiva, “We’re hoping they won’t but only time will tell.
"It’s one of those things only time will tell once the resources have been cut back.
“Overall, the service is having to deliver under high levels of pressure of cutbacks from the central government.
This comes amid mounting concerns about the impact of cuts across the borough’s services this year, with Bolton hit hard by both the cost of living crisis and the after effect of the pandemic in which it was one of the worst hit areas in the country.
Cuts to public safety and community engagement budgets have also caused concern after recent high-profile cases of fears of public disorder and crime in the town.
Cllr Jiva said: “Somethings going to have to give and take, and unfortunately we are going to have shortfalls in some areas, and I hope it won’t compromise the safety of Bolton residents at all but unfortunately only time will tell.”
The cuts, totalling £1.938million, are set to be made over the course of this years, following on from nearly £5.5million already slashed from the department’s budget last year.
The decision was approved at a meeting of Bolton Council earlier this month presided over cabinet member Cllr Musadir Dean and attend by opposition spokespeople including Cllr Jiva, Cllr Garry Veevers and Cllr Lisa Weatherby.
This comes as part of a total of just under £7.5million worth of cuts planned to be made between 2021 and 2023.
The council has previously said in its report that this will come from “saving and efficiency reductions over the 2022/23 financial year.”
Cllr Dean was approached for comment.
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