Suffer the little children

We're starting to get some detail now on how Cornwall Council is meeting the challenge of this year's cuts. Councillors will learn on Thursday how the reduction in central government's Area Based Grants will impact on education: a total of £1.7 million off things like support for children with special educational needs, speech therapy, advice and support for teenage pregnancy projects, youth centres and so on. According to the "Impact on Service Delivery" line a number of schemes will simply be attempted with fewer staff, as vacant posts remain unfilled.

Sure Start seems set to take a beating. According to the council's accountants:

"The funding for Children's Centres and Quality and Access is to be managed down."

It could have been worse. The total reduction in the Department for Education's Area Based Grant was actually £2.9 million, or 24 per cent. By robbing Peter to pay Paul, switching more than £1.2 million from other budget headings, officials hope they've come up with a way to mitigate the damage.

More to come, of course, with next month's Comprehensive Spending Review and Cornwall Council's emergency budget in November.