A COUNCIL will next week outline its spending plans for the next four years.

Middlesbrough Council plans to increase the amount it makes from council tax, business rates and new commerce, as well as increasing efficiency, to combat the Government’s austerity measures.

A report to be considered by the executive – and then full council – outlines the authority’s strategic plan for 2016-20, which pledges to keep job losses to a minimum.

A key element of the plan is an investment strategy which will see the council invest nearly £64 million in developing the town’s economic base, which it says will be “driving financial self-sufficiency and transforming how the Council delivers its services”.

This will be made up of £11.5 million from revenue resources and a further £52.2 million of capital investment, including nearly £40 million of external funding secured for Middlesbrough.

The plan is in response to the first ever four-year Local Government Finance Settlement, which gives the authority greater certainty over its finances in the short to medium term, and strengthens its ability to plan both for efficiencies and for investment.

Other major challenges facing Middlesbrough and other local authorities include implementation of the care act, welfare reform, regional devolution and reductions in public health funding.

Over the period to 2020, just over £8.2 million will also be used from the Council’s reserves to offset the impact of budget cuts and enable effective planning for future savings. The plan will be considered on Monday.