HIGHER school meals and parking charges - but lower standards of street cleaning - are on the way as the council tries to balance its budget.
Town Hall bosses are considering two lists of cuts to find £9.8 million. A third list of more controversial items is being drawn up. The deadline for staff seeking early retirement or redundancy is this week. The council was looking at losing 75 posts after receiving one of Englands worst cash settlements from the Government.
Many options concern management costs and reorganisation: but school meals rise to £1.65, while an early rise in parking fees raises £150,000.
The second list proposes cutting road and office cleaning standards, plus items in social services including changes in fees for intermediate and home care, merging family centres and transferring the management of old folks homes to the not-for-profit sector.
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