TOURIST centres and arts projects in Eden are going to take the biggest hit in swingeing cuts proposed by Eden District Council this week.

Staff may also lose their jobs as part of the council’s need to save £1.1 million over the next three years.

On Monday leader of the council Gordon Nicholson said cuts to services, grants and staffing were necessary ahead of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review on October 20 where the council expects a 25 per cent reduction in its annual grant.

Upper Eden could be one of the worst hit areas with plans to remove financial support for Kirkby Stephen and Appleby Tourist Information Centres.

Money may also be pulled from public toilets in Patterdale, Jenkins Field at Glenridding, Pooley Bridge, Threlkeld, Dufton, Brough and Shap. Eden Arts are to have their budget slashed by 70 per cent.

A final decision on the biggest cuts will be made by full council on February 10 but a raft of smaller cuts, including grants to the Fellrunner bus, rural swimming pools and Christmas lights, will be decided on November 25.

“No councillor joins the council to reduce or withdraw services. I hope the public will understand that we live in unprecedented times and the council has to ensure it balances its books. We would prefer to go down the voluntary route, but if we have to resort to compulsary redundancies, we will,” said Mr Nicolson.

Appleby’s TIC manager Nicola Elliot said the news was a huge blow for tourism in Upper Eden.

“Eden District Council’s proposal to cut Appleby TIC’s grant is very short-sighted. It generates far more money into the economy of the Eden Valley than the small amount it costs to run.

"Penrith has two TIC’s - a town-centre model run wholly by EDC and a newly-refurbished one at Rheged - and yet under these proposals the middle and upper Eden Valley could be left with no tourism provision at all.”

News of a £30,000 reduction in the Eden Arts budget received a similar backlash from Adrian Lochhead, director of Eden Arts who thinks the arts have been unfairly singled-out.

“Realistically we’re looking at there not even being an Eden Arts in the next three years if they go ahead with this. We sympathise with the council that they must make cuts but it is the disproportionate nature towards the arts where we have an issue.

"We are not a luxury, arts and culture projects are the sorts of things that get communities going in Eden and we provide a much needed service.”

Mr Nicolson said if communities wanted to take on the running of services themselves support would be available through the council’s £50,000 Community Fund.

The council have earmarked savings of £300,000 in staffing, £100,000 in shared services, £400,000 in service changes, £100,000 in overheads and £200,000 in efficiencies savings, which will slash their annual expenditure budget of £8.7 million by 12 per cent a year.