Northamptonshire County Council has agreed a core list of spending priorities at a Full Council meeting as part of its budget recovery programme, which may have saved highways from the most extreme cuts.
The agreed core services included 'sufficient maintenance of highways, footpaths, verges, street lighting and traffic signals', though these services still face 'radical' cost reductions under the council's action plan.
The county council is in a precarious situation and has been warned that the authority’s deficit could continue to rise and commissioners may be forced to take control.
The spending priorities list was compiled following last week’s Full Council meeting and in response to the issuing of a second Section 114 notice last month.
The county council says £60m to £70m of savings will be required this financial year in order to achieve a balanced budget.
Council members also agreed a proposed budget recovery action plan, which outlines a number of measures required to significantly reduce spending at the authority.
County council leader Cllr Matt Golby said: 'We know that 70% of the council’s spend is through contracts with third party suppliers, and a large piece of this work will be to review all of these contracts against the new priorities on a contract by contract basis.
'This will not be an easy process and there will be difficult decisions ahead, but we are determined to protect services for the most vulnerable in our communities while bringing the council’s spending under control.'
