DECISIONS over cuts and an indication of the level Council Tax will be hammered out by Malvern Hills District Council over the next eight weeks.

Spending plans to cover the next two years and return the Council to a balanced budget will also be presented to the full council on November 29, a week after the first public discussion at its executive board.

In February, the Council agreed a 8.5 per cent rise in Council Tax and a package of cuts, including redundancies, in order to reduce its spending and bring it closer in line with its income.

Finance spokesman Coun Paul Cumming has indicated that a similar reduction will be required again.

He blamed a lack of financial support from the government and new legislation forcing councils to provide more services without providing the funds to do it.

Another factor is the level of interest rates, which has hit council investments. Estimates of income from investments in the next financial year has been cut from £1 million to £825,000 and that trend is likely to continue. The council has softened the financial impact on Council Tax payers by using its balances to support the budget.

With further redundancies a possibility, talks will be opened with staff and union representatives in the coming weeks to brief them on the situation.