COUNCILS are starting to freeze non-essential services as they reach a "tipping point" ahead of an expected fresh round of deep spending cuts, new research has revealed.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been axed in recent years, almost 500 libraries have closed, the backlog of road repairs has soared and a range of services have been cut back.

A survey by the Press Association of local authorities across Britain shows the scale of cuts they are already facing, amid warnings of the impact on services ranging from caring for the elderly and protecting children to bin collection, pothole repairs, street lighting, social work, museums and maintaining parks.

Many authorities are waiting until the Chancellor delivers the Comprehensive Spending Review on Wednesday, which is expected to include huge cuts in public spending.

Lord Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: "With councils already struggling to keep services running and facing almost £10 billion in additional cost pressures by the end of the decade, it is clear that a similar funding cut again would mean that some councils would have to review how they deliver their statutory duties."

Proposals already announced by councils include increased charges for burials and cremations, primary school swimming lessons, sharing head teachers in small schools and increasing council tax.

Darlington Borough Council’s leader Bill Dixon said it would be “very difficult” choosing which non-statutory services to cut.

He added that the council may soon be in a position where they were “doing statutory services like care for the elderly and care for children and not a lot else”.

Sue Jeffrey, leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, which will lose £11m in business rates next year following the collapse of the SSI steelworks, said the areas in most need were being the hardest-hit in terms of council funding cuts."

Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said the council had been working on huge savings but would have to wait until Wednesday to hear the extent of what was to come.

He said: “We have been on a journey for some time, first having to make savings of £95m and then £70m.

“If on Wednesday the savings we have to make comes to another 25 per cent cut over four years we have already factored that in, but if it is more like 40 per cent cut it will be more difficult."

The LGA said that between 2010/11 and 2013/14, council spending on arts and museums in England and Wales fell by 11 per cent, libraries 14 per cent, parks 10 per cent, roads maintenance 17 per cent, sports and leisure 15 per cent, street cleaning and lighting 6 per cent and planning services 28 per cent.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said: "Further savings will need to be made during the years ahead and we will work together with local government to ensure that this can be done in an intelligent way based on discussions with local government itself."