By Hayley Robinson

Swale council's central government funding is set to be cut annually by 7.1 per cent for the next four years.

This was announced on Wednesday following Chancellor George Osborne's national spending review.

Although council chiefs say the exact implications of the cuts won't be known until early December, it is widely expected that services are set to be outsourced and jobs lost.

Council leader Cllr Andrew Bowles (Con) says the reduction in funding is better than he expected.

Speaking earlier this month he had said the council was preparing for cuts of up to 40 per cent in its funding for 2011/12.

On Wednesday, he would not be drawn on specific local savings, but said he would be in a position to outline Swale's response before Christmas.

Labour Party chairman, Cllr Roger Truelove, says the cut is "difficult but manageable".

He said: "My feeling is different parts will be affected differently and we will be an area that suffers more than most.

"If you live in a nice leafy suburb in Surrey it won't hurt you so much but because we have a lot of people who are dependent on public services I think we will be hit worse than most."

At Westminster, MP Gordon Henderson was pleased with the announcement, saying: "It's better than anybody was expecting.

"I'm pleased about a number of issues. It's obvious the government is going to do everything it can to protect the most vulnerable as it's reaffirmed its commitment to pensioners with the bus passes remaining and the winter fuel allowance.

"Those out of work will no longer receive benefits more than the average working wage after tax so it basically means it becomes more attractive to people to work. There are lots of good things.

"The message to get over is the cuts are only because of the huge financial mess the country is in at the moment. We are spending £120m everyday to just pay off the interest of that debt and that goes to foreign countries and pays for foreign schools and hospitals.

"I want to see that money spent on British schools so we've got to reduce it [the debt] as quickly as possible to reduce that interest."

Cllr Roger Truelove feels the cuts also sound the death knell for Sittingbourne Magistrates’ Court – with the Ministry of Justice being told to prepare for an annual six per cent slash for the next four years.

The court has been earmarked for closure since June and Cllr Truelove says he cannot see it surviving now.

Kent Police, which also faces four per cent cuts to its budget every year for the next four years, argued its closure could cost the force and extra £35,000 a year in travelling costs to Canterbury courts and additional officers’ time.

Cllr Truelove also raised concerns about the effect the cuts to the police budget will have on Swale.

He said: "Police matter a lot in Swale – we have serious drug crime and anti-social behaviour problems. I think we will be hit harder than other places."

Kent Chief Constable, Ian Learmonth, said: "We do know that all forces will face a significant financial challenge in the future, and we have been reviewing every area of our business and every budget."