A new report from Bolton Council lays out options for cuts totalling £8.2m up to 2027.
A recent review by the independent LGA Corporate Peer Challenge group found that Bolton is in a stronger financial position than many other local authorities.
But like councils across the country, Bolton is facing a perfect storm of financial challenges caused by uncertain funding, rising costs and increased demand.
As a result, difficult decisions will be needed in order to protect essential frontline services.
In all, the council estimates that it will need to make £30m of cuts over the next four years with £8.2m to come over the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.
The council can only estimate this as funding settlements from the government in the coming years could mean significant changes to future budgets.
However, the proposed options laid out so far are not finalised, with no decisions due until after a consultation set for early this December to January next year.
The Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Nick Peel, said:
“These are challenging times for council funding, but we have a legal duty to balance the council’s budget, and we are determined to maintain our sound financial footing.
“We will always look to do this through improved efficiencies and with the minimum impact on vital services.
“We hope that future government settlements will give us more financial certainly, but the truth is that difficult decisions will have still to be made.”
The consultation will run from December 3, 2024 to January 6, 2025.