RESIDENTS in Trafford won’t see a rise in their council tax bills for the fourth year running - but 84 jobs are to be axed at the authoroty due to budget cuts.

The council is being forced to save £17m over the next 12 months as a result of the government’s austerity measures.

Councillor Sean Anstee, leader of the ruling Conservative group, said 19 of the threatened jobs will be compulsory redundancies.

The 19 compulsory redundancies will primarily be in the Groundforce Education Welfare, Performance and Partnerships and Culture and Sport departments.

He said despite the challenging nature of the year’s budget key services have been protected.

But Councillor David Acton, leader of Trafford’s Labour group, said the Tory budget is a recipe for further “misery” and “heartache” for the borough’s residents.

Cllr Anstee insisted key council services have been protected He said:: “What we have been able to do is get a budget that continues to protect some of those key services that people rely on. Whether that’s investing in children’s social services, adult social services, keeping libraries, keeping school crossing patrols or investing in our town centres by keeping car parking charges low.”

Cllr Anstee said the council also tries to ‘minimise’ the impact of budget cuts on ‘frontline services’ and added most of this year’s cuts have come from areas that include ‘non frontline services.’ But the budget cuts have been slammed by Cllr Acton who said the measures ‘will wreak even more havoc for vulnerable people in Trafford.’ He said: “I am also deeply concerned that basic services like street cleaning, environmental enforcement, fortnightly collection of grey bins, park maintenance, repairs to pot holes have been further dramatically cut which will adversely affect everyone.

“The Labour Group calls on the Conservative Government to review their austerity measures with a view to drawing an immediate halt to the cuts to local authoritiies.”