A further £12 million in cuts have been approved as Derbyshire County Council's budget was given the green light.

The Conservative-led county council approved its final budget for the next year on Wednesday, February 7, and with it fell the axe on some of its adult care and children's services.

Its latest £12 million budget cuts for the coming year are part of an aim to stay on track to save £53 million by 2021 to 2022.

It also approved a council tax rise of 4.99 per cent, which will raise an extra £15 million for a total budget of £503 million.

In real terms, the average homeowner in Derbyshire will pay an extra £60 in council tax, for the county council's portion of the bill.

The average homeowner lives in a Band D property, with A being the cheapest and H the highest.

This will be broken down into cutting £5.015 million from adult care; £2.946 million from children's services; £2.865 million from the economy, transport and environment; and £1.515 million from commissioning, communities and policy.

Derbyshire County Council HQ at County Hall in Matlock
Derbyshire County Council HQ at County Hall in Matlock

County council leader Councillor Barry Lewis said: "We're confident the budget that has been agreed is strong, fair and balanced and most importantly, we'll be able to continue to provide high quality, efficient, value-for-money services.

"While we do not relish raising council tax we have a duty to meet our obligations to the people of Derbyshire, and with careful planning we aim to be in a position to freeze council tax from 2020/21 for two years.

"This year's rise is necessary and will fund essential services which we know are priorities for our residents, like looking after older and vulnerable people, children and young people, as well as maintaining the county's roads.

"We can achieve a lot with the budget we have for the year ahead and we are constantly looking at different and more efficient ways of working.

"There will be challenges and difficult decisions ahead, but Derbyshire residents can rest assured that we will continue to work hard to ensure every penny we have is spent wisely."

Derbyshire County Council leader Barry Lewis
Derbyshire County Council leader Barry Lewis

Among the top cuts are £2.5 million from the learning disabilities service; £300,000 from school crossing patrols; 1.5million cuts to early help for children and their families services and £1million from its services for the nought to five-year-olds; and a £3 million from adult care.

It also hopes to save £755,000 by converting street lights in the county to LED fittings.

Councillor Anne Western, who heads up the Labour group on the county council, reiterated her despair that it would be members of the public who will be "footing the bill" through a tax rise .

She denounced the greenlit plans as "not a good budget for Derbyshire people".

Cllr Western told the Burton Mail: "I accept that the council needs more money but it should not fall to the public to foot the bill.

"This is not a good budget for Derbyshire people, and will hit the most vulnerable the hardest, the young, disabled, the children with special educational needs and the elderly.

"It should be the government that they should be asking for more money from.

Councillor Anne Western, Labour party leader for Derbyshire County Council
Councillor Anne Western, Labour party leader for Derbyshire County Council

"You have Conservative council leaders up and down the country all lobbying the Government to say 'look, we need more money' but our council leader won't do that - they're in denial.

"They are saying there will be a council tax freeze in 2020 but I don't see how that would work, why put it up and reduce it later.

"It's as if they want to run the council, but not accept the responsibility, all while blaming the previous Labour administration.

"When we [Labour] were in power the [the Conservatives] were blaming us for everything without turning to their own Government, and it is the same thing now, just looking to score political points.

"The financial officer said that compared to other county councils, Derbyshire is pretty well placed, including the time that Labour was in charge."