Redbridge Council has cut £261,771 from the budget for footways and cycle tracks since 2015.

The reduction has been revealed following a Freedom of Information request about spending against Council cost codes.

In 2015/2016 the Council allocated spending of £3,044,664 against a cost code for footways and cycle tracks.

In 2016/2017 the figure was £2,782,893, representing a reduction of £261,771.

According to the Redbridge Council website it is facing “unprecedented financial challenge.  Government cuts have meant we have had to approve savings of around £125m since 2011 of which £30.3m has to be saved over the next five years”.  The page appears to refer to budget discussions in 2017.

A different page on the website, published on 22 November 2017, states “we’ve already approve savings of around £132m with an additional £73m forecast for the next five years”.

The page includes a quote from Cllr Kam Rai, Cabinet Member for Finance and Support Services:

“The actions we have taken are designed to deliver the Councils services and priorities within the 2017/2018 budget.  We’ve been able to do this by achieving additional savings across the Council so that we can allocate resources to where they are needed most – to help provide social care for children, vulnerable people and the elderly”.