HAMPSHIRE County Council is laying out its plans to allow for the “bare minimum” of services across the county in an effort to cut costs.

If approved, proposals include turning off some streetlights at night, new parking charges and cutting back on day-to-day repairs such as dealing with potholes or drainage cleansing.

It is also looking to increase the Council Tax and continue to use its reserves to pay for services as it looks to make savings of £132m to balance the budget by 2025/26.

The initiatives will impact all sectors with cuts, reductions to “bare minimum levels” – what councils are legally required to provide-, fee increases, and an in-depth change in how services are offered.

READ MORE: Hampshire museums facing the axe in funding cuts

Options include increasing parking charges at Countryside sites, introducing new on-street parking charges in new locations and reviewing charges at existing locations, introducing new charges for parking at off-street and countryside locations, increasing ceremony fees, expanding moving traffic monitoring sites or keeping street lights off at night on some non-residential roads among others.

Changes could also include pausing the “Operation Resilience” programme, which involves dealing with potholes, replacing road markings, repairs to signs, and drainage cleansing, meaning that these activities and larger-scale structural maintenance, among others, would only be undertaken on safety grounds, or when major or widespread defects are identified. With this change, the Council estimates to save £7.5m.

As previously reported, the council is also proposing cuts to funding for Hampshire Cultural Trust which runs museums and art spaces.

In addition, the County Council plans to reduce and change some services, especially those so-called non-statutory services. Proposals include the possible loss of School Crossing Patrols, the end of funding to community transport services, the potential financial reduction support for the cultural sector, reductions in road maintenance, or the review of outdated policies such as “winter service provision”.

According to the “Budget consultation information pack,” the proposed plans involve raising Council Tax by over 4.99 per cent. It states that for every 1 per cent increase in Council Tax, the County Council would receive an income of £7.8 million. However, a public referendum would be required before implementing this change.

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At the full County Council meeting on Thursday, September 28, the Leader of the Council, Rob Humby, said, “The challenges that we face are the same as other local authorities. High inflation, high demand for social care services, and more than a decade of underfunding from the central government. As a result, council budgets are close to breaking point.

“We have warned ministers that this is an unsustainable situation. This month, the Birmingham City Council issued a Section 114 notice. If reports are to be believed, plenty of other councils will be forced to consider doing the same in the next year or two.

“Hampshire is in a better financial position than most county councils. While our finances are stable until 2025/26, we need a central government to fundamentally change the way local services are funded or reduce what councils are legally required to deliver.”