A massive cut of £99 million will be made over the next four years to Wiltshire Council’s base budget, it has been announced.

Wiltshire councillors have revealed their plans for 2011’s budget with 12 per cent cuts to every service area to fill the black hole left by a cut in government grants to local authorities.

They will seek approval for the budget at a meeting on Tuesday in what is expected to be a heated debate.

Coun Jane Scott told the cabinet meeting on Tuesday: “We want to change the way we spend the money we have and quite radically too.”

Many bus services that are subsidised by the council will be axed. Coun Dick Tonge, cabinet member for public transport, said: “We supply a great deal of public transport. We have to get children to school and pay for concessionary travel and from a £30m budget we are left with about £5.4m for subsidising buses. We have had to squeeze that.

“Car parking charges will increase and this money will help to pay for public transport.”

Connexions advice centres for young people are under threat of closure ahead of a review of how the council dispenses careers advice. The Youth Opportunities Fund, which is a pot of money that young people can use to fund their own projects, has been cut by £216,000.

Arts and heritage grants will be cut by £91,080 but the council says that most existing grants will be maintained.

Some £520,000 will be shaved from street scene services, resulting in less frequent grass cutting in some areas.

To increase the council’s income by £2m, all service charges will be increased by four per cent, and ten per cent for car parking charges.

Council house tenants face a rent increase of 3.3 per cent or £2.59 per week.

There was some good news for tax payers. Council tax will be frozen for two years ahead of a 2.5 per cent rise in 2013 and 2014.

There will be big new powers for Area Boards with £500,000 set aside for local highway repairs. An additional £500,000 may become available in June when the government rewards councils who have pursued the Big Society agenda. The council has set aside £200,000 which it hopes will be match-funded by the government.

The budget includes capital investments of £30m for the construction of new community campuses and leisure facilities, and £220m for extra care facilities for older people and £22.m for schools.