EFFORTS are being made to stave off a council-tax increase next April, town-hall bosses have suggested.

Bury Council's finance representative Cllr Jane Lewis moved to reassure residents that the local authority is balancing the books despite being hit by three funding blows.

Firstly, the Government is requiring the council to pay a £500,000 Apprentice Levy next April to contribute towards the training of apprentices across the UK.

Secondly, Westminster has withdrawn the Education Services Grant and the Benefit Administration Grant, depriving the council of £3.8 million a year.

And thirdly, Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) says it plans to increase Bury Council's waste disposal levy by 9.6 per cent from April.

The council currently pays £12.5 million a year to GMWDA for it to handle waste disposal and recycling.

That, says GMWDA, is projected to rise to £13.6 million next year, £14.6 million in 2018/19 and £15 million in 2019/20.

Those measures combined will leave the council £5.4 million short, prompting speculation from opposition councillors that the only way leaders can balance the books is to put up council tax.

At a Full Council meeting at the town hall on September 14, Bury Conservative Group leader, Cllr Iain Gartside asked whether the council had accounted for the waste disposal levy increase in its medium-term financial strategy.

Cllr Lewis said: "Yes it has, along with the 24-per-cent reduction in (Government) funding to 2020, unfunded new burdens such as the Apprenticeship Levy and the removal of the (two) grants.

"Waste disposal is a significant cost for the council and we are working closely with GMWDA to examine ways of reducing costs."

She added: "It is worth noting that, had we not embarked upon our three-weekly collection initiative (in October 2014), then the cost for the current tax year would have been £2.1 million higher than it is now."

A GMWDA spokesman said the levy has been frozen for the last three years and added: "The latest figures show that we are already achieving over 85-per-cent diversion from landfill and our target of 50 per cent recycling should be achieved by 2017/18.

"Recycling figures are on the rise with increases of up to 17 per cent in some councils areas."

GMWDA chairman, Cllr Nigel Murphy said he recognised the levy increase would be "potentially difficult" for councils and that the organisation would continue to look at money-saving measures.