TOWN halls planning to axe jobs and slash services were accused of failing to follow advice for making pain-free “efficiencies”

yesterday.

John Denham, the Communities Secretary, hit back at a survey suggesting councils were intending to sack at least 25,000 workers within five years. One expert put the figure at 100,000.

Council leaders said libraries, nurseries, leisure centres and the arts were the most vulnerable to the spending squeeze – while children’s social services, help for the homeless and planning would be protected.

Most councils in the region did not respond the BBC survey, but two – North Yorkshire County Council and Newcastle City Council – said they anticipated cuts of up to ten per cent. York City Council said up to five per cent.

The study started a political row, with trade unions claiming Conservative-run local authorities were already unnecessarily cutting refuse collections and selling care homes.

Mr Denham issued a tenpoint plan to help councils cut spending while protecting frontline services, warning that voters would be furious with any town hall that ignored the “checklist”.

It included a budgeting system called Total Place, under which some councils are already ending duplication by co-ordinating services with the likes of primary care trusts (PCTs).

Other suggestions were: check performance against other councils; buy goods and services in groups; reduce the number of council buildings; streamline management by sharing senior posts with other town halls or PCTs.

Mr Denham said: “Councils have some tough choices in the next few years as things become tighter, but that is no reason to lower their sights on service quality.

“Local people will rightly be intolerant if they are told that front line services will be cut because their council hasn’t done everything suggested on this checklist.”

But the Tories said councils were suffering “the cold winds of Labour’s recession, compounded by fiddled funding from Whitehall which has caused council tax to double since 1997”.

Julia Goldsworthy, the Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman, said: “Three-quarters of council money comes from government grants. John Denham’s attempt to wash his hands of blame is outrageous.”

The forecast of 25,000 job cuts was based on answers from 49 councils with a combined workforce of 256,000.