Where the axe is likely to fall Cut the flowers

The council’s lead member for climate change and sustainability has admitted the borough will look less colourful as the draft budget seeks to save more than £80,000 by removing several planters.

The containers are home to new flowers every year but Cllr Donna Stimson (Con, St Mary’s) has called them a ‘luxury’ that the council has to sacrifice.

All of the containers will be put into storage and by removing them, the council is set to save £86,000.

The Royal Borough has committed to a 2050 carbon neutral target and its climate strategy is set to be debated and adopted at cabinet today (Thursday).

When asked how this would affect the borough’s climate plans, Cllr Stimson said: “We are not going to be hitting our climate change target by simply filling some troughs with flowers.

“We are going to be doing it by planting swathes of trees; updating our planning strategy and making our homes more efficient.

“It will have an impact on the colour, but actually in terms of biodiversity they are not going to make much of a difference.”

The draft budget for next financial year outlines a series of areas that could face cuts, from weekly black bin collections to reduced arts funding. Pending approval at cabinet this evening (Thursday) and public consultation over the coming weeks, a final proposal will be voted on by councillors in February. The Advertiser reporting team has analysed and gathered reaction to some of the most significant savings proposed in the papers.