COUNCILLORS will consider fresh proposals to find savings at a meeting of Dorset County Council’s cabinet next month.

At the latest cabinet meeting members were given an update on their savings programme, which aims to achieve a £55million saving over the next three years and £31million in the current financial year.

A report showed that so far nearly £6million of savings had already been identified as being ‘unlikely to be achieved’ in the next two years.

Chief financial officer Paul Kent told the meeting that fresh proposals covering changes to staff terms and conditions – which remove the requirement for staff to take compulsory unpaid leave – would also result in a further loss of around £1.1million in previously identified savings over the next two years.

Mr Kent said more details on the progress of the overarching savings programme, including areas where savings targets were not being met as well as new proposals to find savings, will be considered at the next cabinet meeting on July 6, when a ‘budget review’ would take place.

He said: “We are focusing very strongly on achieving this programme but there is a very large base of expenditure out there that we need to make sure is in place before we make any decisions.

“I’m very much of the view that we should review all of this on July 6 meeting when we have more information.”

Cabinet member for corporate resources Spencer Flower added: “The sooner we know where we are, the sooner we can start taking recovery action if it is needed.”