Town and parish councils across Shropshire will be viewed as “the baddies” if they are forced to raise taxes to safeguard public services facing the Shirehall axe, it has been claimed.

The full Shropshire Council, which has a big Tory majority, yesterday approved a raft of savings with “service implications” totalling £3.28 million and leading to warnings about the parish council repercussions.

It also agreed a further £1.71 million savings which have been identified within the children and young people’s directorate to meet the loss of Government grants.

Over the next three years the authority is looking to find savings of £66 million. This is on top of £10 million it is having to find this current year after other grants were lost.

Pauline Dee, an Independent councillor, said she feared a financial burden was going to be placed on town and parish councils.

She said they might have to put up council tax to help maintain services.

“We are going to be seen as the baddies,” said Councillor Dee, who also serves on Wem Town Council.

Savings include £502,000 from re-tendering contracts with the voluntary and independent sector; £88,000 from closing day centres on Saturdays and bank holidays; £200,000 from closing the Grange Centre at Harlescott for people with physical disabilities and providing them with alternative services and £307,000 from cutting a number of Sunday and evening bus services and removing high-cost, low-use routes.

The plans were attacked by Labour and Lib Dem members.

Liz Parsons, Labour, said services cuts would impact on “already vulnerable” people such as family carers, and the elderly and disabled.

Alan Mosley, Labour group leader, said he did not believe such deep cuts were necessary. “They are being imposed because of Tory ideology,” he said.

Councillor Mosley added that he was “flabbergasted” that £500,000 was being taken from grants to the voluntary and community sectors at the same time as the council planned to increase reliance upon them.

Lib Dem leader Nigel Hartin, supported by Councillor Roger Evans, proposed the list of savings be referred back to cabinet. But their bid was overwhelmingly rejected by the Conservative-dominated chamber.

Councillor Evans said many of the proposals had not been consulted upon.

Council leader, Keith Barrow, said there was no intention to “dump things” on the town and parish councils, and the voluntary sector. But he said he would be lying if he said there was not going to be “pain” for some people.

By Dave Morris