Shropshire Council is attempting to deliver the highest percentage savings target of any council in the United Kingdom this year, according to new figures.

Set against the council’s net revenue budget, the proposed target of £62.5million represents a rate of savings nearly ten percent higher than the next highest councils of Bromley and even bankrupt Birmingham.

In total monetary terms, only three councils have approved larger savings targets for the current financial year: Birmingham (£149.8m), Kent (£89m) and Leeds (£63.9m).

The national figures gathered by the BBC’s local government information unit (LGIU) show the council will save £191 per person in the county if it meets its ambitious target.

In Telford & Wrekin, the council’s planned £17.5m savings for 2024/25 represent around 11% of its net budget, or £90 per person.

Analysis shows local authorities across the country have approved more than £3billion in savings proposals for this financial year alone, but will still face a collective funding shortfall of more than £5.7bn by 2026-27.

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Shropshire Council leader Lezley Picton said cuts of £62.5m represented a 7.5% reduction in the council’s total planned revenue spending, down from £824m to £761m, which she said was “more representative” of the council’s position than the quoted figure against the net budget requirement.

“Like many other councils across the UK, we are facing an urgent and unprecedented financial challenge.  Demand for many of our services has risen, especially since the pandemic, and the cost of providing these services has also increased,” she told the BBC.

“More than 75% of our net budget is spent on social care.  The number of children looked after in Shropshire has increased by 85% since 2020 and care placements have become more expensive.

“Shropshire is a rural, sparsely-populated county with complex care needs, which adds to the financial pressure. 

“At this critical point, we are taking very difficult decisions to overcome the challenge we face in this financial year and we know there will be an impact for our communities and our colleagues.”

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LGIU chief executive Dr Jonathan Carr-West said the bleak financial picture is compounded by growing demands and the increasing cost of homelessness and social care services.

“After nearly 15 years of incremental, massive savings, the easy stuff to cut went a long time ago,” he said.

“There are massive shortfalls and to put it bluntly, to make serious dents in the budgetary deficit, they will have to take from statutory services.

“It’s a really desperate situation, we know more than half of councils are dipping into their reserves year after year and councils are in a dire position.

“Demand has risen while costs in those areas have also gone up and the whole situation is pushing councils to the brink financially – it is getting to the point where councils can only offer core statutory services and nothing else.”