WEYMOUTH and Portland are facing ‘dramatic’ changes to local government which are likely to lead to cuts to services and redundancies.

A report to be discussed by the borough council’s management committee tomorrow (tues) warns that cuts to government grants mean that by 2019/20 the gap between providing services and the resources available to pay for them will reach £11.7 million per year.

The report reads: “The decade from 2010 to 2020 will see the biggest changes to local government in recent history and the impact upon the council and the services it provides cannot be understated.”

It adds: “The impact of the reduction in resources will be considerable and it is likely that there will be further reductions in services, the level of services provided and the number of staff employed.”

Officers have reassured councillors that the proposed budget for the coming financial year 2016/17 is balanced – but it assumes a council tax raise of 1.99 per cent, an increase of £4.39 annually for a Band B property.

Cllr Jeff Cant, finance and assets briefholder, said growing the town’s income will be key to ensuring the future economic prosperity of the borough.

He said: “We are facing a £400,000 deficit in the harbour budget but despite that we are able to hold our ground for the next year and balance the budget without services being affected.

“For the following year the government is changing the way it gives us money. It’s quite a significant sum for us and we are working through how to handle it.”

Cllr Cant added that a number of workshops are taking place to discuss the future of the harbour – and if the High Speed Ferries link does not happen, consideration is being given to opening the harbour to cruise ships.

The borough council is expected to announce later this month if the High Speed Ferries project has been successful.

Cllr Cant also said that the borough council is working on a project to introduce five zones in Weymouth town centre to regenerate the area. Talks are ongoing with a number of potential partners.

“Negotiations are very early but I do think income generation will be the solution to the financial issue.”

Cllr Ian Bruce, who chairs the management committee, said the borough council has weathered funding reductions for a number of years without noticeable affect on services.

“We keep warning the public that finances are very difficult but time and time again we demonstrate that we can do things for less or no money at all and preserve the services.”

He pointed to the Pavilion and the Marsh as recent examples.

The management committee will be asked to approve the budget proposals and task officers to find options to address the future budget gap.

There will also be a workshop in March involving 111 councillors from across the tri-partnership area to explore future governance options.