Plans to close public toilets and put up the price of school meals by 10p are part of another round of Shropshire Council budget cuts due to be discussed at Shirehall tomorrow. The savings will total more than £9.6 million.

Bosses say the closing of all public toilets run by the council would save £100,000 and increasing the price of school meals by 10p would generate a further £271,000.

The management of toilets will be offered to parish and town councils, and businesses will also be encouraged to provide toilets for public use.

Other savings include £518,000 by halving the funding given to the local joint committees for community projects, £100,000 from introducing day care charges, £173,000 from merging the reference and lending libraries in Shrewsbury, £242,000 by deleting 10 strategy and policy posts and £219,000 from reducing social care administration.

A number of big savings are also proposed in the children’s and young people’s directorate with £542,000 coming out of the schools advisory service and £165,000 from Early Years by deleting posts.

Twenty two posts could be lost in the advisory service and a further 12 in Early Years and childcare.

Figures being presented to the cabinet show about 200 posts overall could be deleted as part of the council’s 2011/12 budget.

The £9.6 million savings will deliver the remaining savings target for 2011/12 of £16.2 million.

This is on top of £14.5 million already agreed and takes the total figure for the next financial year to £30.8 million.

But the council will still need to make other huge reductions in spending if it is to reach its four-year savings target of £76 million.

Council leader Keith Barrow, said: “As well as scaling back less essential services, we are looking at doing things differently wherever we can, so we can continue to provide those services which are most valued by local people.

“For instance, why shouldn’t parish or town councils run public toilets, or even better, why shouldn’t local businesses be able to encourage extra trade by providing facilities themselves?

“There is no need for the council to do everything itself, if we think creatively.”

By Dave Morris