EXETER City Council has slammed cost cutting proposals from Devon as a 'bolt out of the blue'.
Devon County Council has announced today that it is to consult the public on a list of cuts which includes stopping weed spraying, restocking or maintaining grit bins, no longer cutting grass verges except to maintain visibility at junctions, and reducing the number of roads it grits.
Cllr Pete Edwards, leader of the city council said: "We have had no warning of these cost cutting measures only nine working days after we thought we had resolved the situation with county.
"A meeting was called to address the situation of weeds in the city on September 22 and now this comes like a bolt out of the blue! If we're taking time to talk to county about these things then why aren't we told about what is around the corner?"
Cllr Edwards said: "We are doing everything possible to dress this city as a place of investment but how can we do that if basic things like weeds cannot be tackled properly?
"The eyes of the world will be on Exeter next year for the Rugby World Cup 2015. We understand more than anyone how tight money is but there has to be dialogue between the two councils so that we understand perfectly what the challenges are that we need to look at."
Cllr Edwards said that county-wide issues such as cutting back of gritting routes to smaller communities and not re-stocking grit bins would have wider reaching implications for places like Exeter.
He said: "How can we expect to attract investment to the city if people can't get a car off their own drive or catch a bus in the middle of winter,
"People will soon be asking the question 'why am I paying so much money to Devon County Council in council tax if so many of their key services are being shut down or reduced'.
This question has been echoed by Cllr Alan Connett, leader of the Lib Dems in Devon who said: "Across the county, people will see they are being forced to pay more in council tax and yet getting less and less for their money.
"Yesterday at the county council meeting I asked how much each area of the council would need to save next year but the answers avoided the question.
"Today, the first batch of cuts amounting to over £3m were announced.
"The Conservatives running County Hall will have known about these cuts at the meeting. They said nothing.
"It seems they've announced the cuts today to bury the news over the weekend, but communities and town and parish councils need to respond if they have any hope of protecting their local services."
