AUSTERITY is biting and Wiltshire Council is not the only one having to make difficult decisions, councillor Toby Sturgis has said.

The cabinet member for strategic planning, property, waste and strategic housing, told those who had gathered at Tidworth Garrison Theatre on Monday, to express their anger about the potential closure of Everleigh Recycling Centre, difficult decisions had to be made to save money.

“Wiltshire has not cut anywhere near the services that is being cut elsewhere. We still have all our libraries and we have still got the art centres,” he said.

This year the council received £104million from the government and next year they have estimated they will get £91.6m, a cut of more than £12m.

Combined with the rise in demand of frontline services and inflation costs they say they need to find a further £24m of savings next financial year, which is why some services are being cut or scrapped such as the potential closure of Everleigh’s facility, near Pewsey.

He added: “We are currently living in austerity times and we have a deficit of more than £3.2m.

“The priority of Wiltshire Council is looking after the vulnerable in Wiltshire. We have more elderly people and they are living longer which is good news but we have to find more money every year.

“What we are doing, and looking to do in the future, is being done by everybody else. It is not just Wiltshire that has these problems and difficult decisions have to be made.”

But those at the meeting were not convinced, one resident from Collingbourne Ducis said: “I have listened to your argument about cost-cutting and once again it seem you are attacking the vulnerable in our society i.e. everyone aged 70 plus.”

Councillor Kim Wheeler-Mallows, of Everleigh Parish Council, added: “This rural community gets nothing from other services provided by the council. We do not have buses any more, we barely have street lighting.”

However, Coun Sturgis replied: “I believe the cuts that we have made have been as reasonable as possible and we have not put council tax up for five years.”