THE North-East’s biggest council is to ask taxpayers how to slash £50m from its spending.

Labour-led Durham County Council is expected to have cut about £220m from its budget between 2010 and 2018.

About £90m has already been saved and a further £20.9m must be cut in 2013-14, leaving the authority with a revenue budget of £457m.

More cuts running to 2017 are planned, but savings of £53.1m are still to be identified.

Now council chiefs want the public’s help. A major consultation exercise is planned for this autumn.

Council leader Simon Henig said: “There is no doubt there are many more extremely difficult decisions which we will have to make.

“We will make these while continuing our discussions with residents and businesses in the county and while protecting those who are most vulnerable as best we can.”

The move echoes a similar consultation staged in the early days of spending cuts, in late 2010.

Coun Henig said the public gave “sensible” answers during that exercise, adding: “Making sure the public get their say is part of our role.

“These are big changes. We’re having to downsize what the council does and that has massive potential for the public. I’m proud that so far we’ve done what the public asked us to do.”

However, the council will retain the final say over its budget, he said.

Coun Henig was speaking as the council published its proposed budget for 2013-14.

It includes: using a £2m Government grant to help freeze council tax for a third consecutive year, protecting council tax benefits for all 65,000 households receiving the support and spending an extra £1m on adult social care.

The highways winter maintenance budget is protected and there is an extra £1.5m for patching roads.

Finally, an extra £3.25m would go on measures aimed at boosting the economy, taking total capital spending over the next four years to £314m.

This includes: new “customer access points” (CAPs), or council offices, for Stanley and in Newton Aycliffe leisure centre and new Household Waste Recycling Centres, or tips, for Crook and Stainton Grove, near Barnard Castle.

The proposed budget will go before the council’s cabinet next Wednesday (February 6), then a full council meeting for the final decision on Wednesday, February 20. To view the budget, visit democracy.durham.gov.uk

On Monday, Northumberland County Council’s executive agreed cuts of £23.6m for 2013-14.