Six fewer sets of public toilets, three fewer museums and charges for clear recycling sacks - these are among the ways Canterbury City Council intends to save £3.5 million over the next two years.

The authority has been forced into this position - which includes cutting 52 jobs - because of a drop in income, especially from parking and planning charges.

It is also expecting less cash from the Government, whichever political party is in control.

So the council has used its draft budget for 2010/11 to plan closing the six least used public conveniences, charge £2 for an additional roll of clear sacks and shut Canterbury's Westgate Towers museum and the Roman Pavement while turning Herne Bay Museum into an educational space.

There are also plans to demolish Westgate Hall in Canterbury to make way for parking spaces and close the council's Whitstable office with the aim of providing services from somewhere else in the town.

But it says it will maintain frontline services and try to keep council tax increases to a minimum.

John Gilbey, leader of the Conservative-controlled council, said: “Our aim has been to protect the frontline services that people tell us they value most and maintain funding for the things we are required to do by law.

"This has meant we have had to look for most of the savings from the discretionary services that we choose to fund.

“Savings options we considered but decided not to implement include charging for collections of garden waste and closing any of our leisure centres.

"We are pleased that we have been able to protect these services that we know people like."

Projects such as the redevelopment of the Beaney Institute and Marlowe Theatre will still go ahead, but the proposed move of the market to Iron Bar Lane to allow the refurbishment of St George's Street is being put on hold until summer 2012.

The plans form part of a or in council offices.http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/draft consultation document and people have until Friday, December 18 to comment on it. Copies of it are available on

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