A round of 'stringent' economy measures are on the cards at Teignbridge Council as the authority struggles to pay for the 'hugely-popular' free bus travel scheme for the over 60s. Consultants have been called in to examine where an additional £1 million can be found to cover this year's bill, a figure likely to rise next year. 'Backroom' savings under consideration include a tough review on posts when staff leave, although job cuts have been ruled out. Other measures could include dipping into council reserves and charging for car parking at Labrador Bay. details will be published on January 8. Cllr Alan Connett, council leader, said measures would be taken to minimise the impact on the public and he was determined to cap the rise in Teignbridge's share of the council tax to 2.7 per cent. 'This budget is a very difficult one for us,' he said. 'We have set our strategy over the past few years at delivering value for money, keeping down increases in council tax and investing in key services such as children's play parks, car parks, toilets, affordable housing and the environment, including recycling, for which we are now in the national top 10 and the best in the west.' He said a policy of reviewing posts when vacancies arose was already 'custom and practice' but acknowledged that each would now have to be examined 'to see if savings can be made'.He denied the council would have to actively shed jobs and said: 'There is no proposal to reduce staff numbers.' Cllr Connett said: 'We are obliged to provide a minimal scheme which only operates after 9.30am and within the district but that it is not what the people of Teignbridge need,' he said. 'For example, both of our main hospitals lie outside the district in Exeter and Torbay. The government says it likes what we are doing but it is not prepared to fund it. They can't have their cake and eat it.' The council has asked the government to alter its funding arrangements which Cllr Connett said were unfair, complicated and resulted in some authorities being paid more than the scheme cost. He said that without the need to bridge the current funding gap, his council had planned to put money into the reserves next year, not draw from them as now looked likely. He expressed the hope that the problem would be short lived as the bus fare scheme was to be launched nationwide in 2008 and could be funded centrally.
