CUTS of almost £6 million are being planned at Malvern Hills District Council over five years, as the cash-strapped council seeks to cope with “very challenging” economic times.

The Conservative administration has outlined its medium term financial plan, pledging £400,000 of savings in 2016-2017 rising to £1.9 million a year by 2020-2021.

These targets will be met through “ongoing efficiencies, permanent budget reductions and increased income from services” – but specific details of where savings will be made have not been released.

It is hoped frontline services will be protected from cuts, but no guarantees have yet been made.

The controversial plan came in for harsh criticism at a Malvern Hills District Council meeting on Tuesday (December 1).

Liberal Democrat councillor Tom Wells said: “I am very concerned by this.

“It is a heck of a challenge, especially for a council that has outsourced many of its key services.

“I really don’t know where this council is going to begin to find this level of cost-cutting.

“We have already cut services to the bone and I have no idea where these cuts will come from.”

Conservative councillor Paul Cumming however defended the approach.

He said: “This is not a budget, it is a framework.

“It is going to be difficult, I have no doubts about that at all.

“But we will make the savings through efficiencies wherever possible.”

The medium term financial plan provides income and expenditure forecasts from 2016 to 2021 and outlines targets for “significant efficiency and budget savings” in each year.

A target for savings of £400,000 in 2016-2017 is detailed, rising by £400,000 for each of the next three years and then reaching £1.9 million by 2020-2021.

The savings in each year are likely to be recurrent meaning fresh cuts or efficiencies will only be required for the difference.

The overall position represents an 11 per reduction in real terms of the total council budget from £8.75 million in 2015-2016 to £8.5 million in 2020-2021.

The financial plan adds that the full £1.9 million savings will be made through “permanent ongoing reductions in expenditure and increases in income generated”.

Specific savings will be identified in the inaugural council business plan – but it is hoped frontline services can be protected as much as possible.

Cllr Cumming added: “Some of the savings required have already been found.

“For example, we achieved a good deal on our leisure services, reducing costs, and we are working for other councils to bring in income.

“We will produce a business plan, due to be published in January, that will outline what we need to do and where we can get the savings from.

“Our principle is that we do not want to cut frontline services – something we have achieved over recent years.

“But obviously the more we have to reduce our spending, the more difficult it is going to be.”

Councillor Phillip Grove, leader of the council, said during the meeting on Tuesday (December 1) that district councils were being “disproportionately affected” by government funding cuts.

He said the council faced “very challenging” financial times and that “difficult decisions” would have to be made.