THE first likely casualties in South Lakeland District Council's radical budget-slashing exercise have come to light following months of deliberation by top council figures charged with setting council finances back on track.

Concessionary bus fares, public toilets and human resources look set to suffer the heaviest losses of more than £100,000 each for 2002/03.

Local Agenda 21, leisure and amenities grants and Joblink are also in line for budget cuts of between £88,000 and £48,000 each.

Further savings could be found by dispensing with council-funded CCTV, reducing support to Citizens' Advice Bureaux and a £50,000 cut to the economic development budget.

The council also hopes to boost its income through hiking up charges for waste recycling and pest control, and increasing local land charges.

The review indicates that cuts in services will inevitably result in a number of job losses.

The report states: "Reductions in direct service provision would imply the loss of seven permanent posts (three in Joblink and four in the Environment Group) and approximately 40 temporary Joblink trainees."

When SLDC was plunged into a £1.2 million cash crisis this spring a team of senior councillors and officers, known as the shadow executive, set about producing a balanced budget for 2002/03.

Falling income and escalating costs had been exacerbated by the unexpected expense of foot-and-mouth disease.

The executive has been meeting every fortnight since April but to date, their deliberations have taken place behind closed doors.

This week the shadow executive published its recommendations in advance of a full council meeting on Thursday (August 9) when the proposals will be scrutinised before being put to the vote in a special meeting in September.

SLDC director of finance Jack Jones said he believed the exercise would put SLDC on a stronger financial footing.