Free tea and coffee, and Christmas and Eid lights could be stopped after Newham Council projected a £175million black hole in finances over the next three years.
The council has begun consultations on proposals totalling £70 million as part of plans to close the forecasted budget gap.
Tea, coffee and biscuits are free for staff at the council but this is proposed be scrapped as part of the consultations, which could save up to £24,000 a year.
Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz said: “We have pledged to be open and honest about the issues facing us, and we are working hard to identify all savings.“
“We are a well-managed, financially responsible council but the additional costs of a 26% rise in demand for temporary housing are the difference between us being able to balance our budget both last year and this.
“Most London boroughs have now published information which shows they face exactly the same issues as we do.
“But we still have to take steps to do all we can to mitigate the situation now – and this is the start of the process.”
On top of these proposed cuts, the council’s funding of of Christmas and Eid lights could be halted to save a reported £200,000.
A proposed change in location from Newham Council’s dockside office opposite London City Airport to somewhere cheaper has been mooted too.
Selling off property assets not in the borough, such as the Debden House conference centre in Essex, is being considered as well.
Meanwhile, the number of children centres operating in the borough are also set to decrease as part of the cuts.
Councillor Zulfiqar Ali, Newham’s cabinet member for finance and resources said: “No one will deny that the choices we are going to have to make are difficult.
“It is not because we have failed in our financial management approach – past government policy and the inefficacies of the housing market in London and the UK has failed us.
“We have already asked the government for Exceptional Financial Support and are waiting for the outcome.”
The council is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS).
The council has not disclosed how much funding it has requested or given details on how the discussions are progressing.
Join the discussion