BRITAIN’S economy may be quickly emerging from the worst recession in living memory, but today comes a sharp reminder that the Government’s austerity plan is still very much the order of the day.

When he announced his measures in 2010, George Osborne said: “Today we have paid the debts of a failed past and laid the foundations for a more prosperous future.”

But four years later we are still paying and, for many, that prosperous future still seems to be an awfully long way off.

To make matters worse, City of York Council tax bills are set to rise by 1.9 per cent. But even that won’t save 240 council jobs, nor will it prevent theatre and museum grants being slashed.

More worryingly, weekly charges for elderly people’s homes are likely to rise while spending on children’s respite care will be cut.

Although it’s a depressing situation, we do sympathise with the council because it has no option but to find ways of saving £10.74 million in this financial year and £12.65 million during the next.

Council leader James Alexander says he had hoped that, by now, the scale of Government cuts to local services would be reducing dramatically.

But the Chancellor told us at the outset to expect austerity measures until the end of this Parliament and the scale of the latest round doesn’t come as a great surprise Let’s just hope there will be a proper debate in York’s council chambers before any decisions are made, to ensure that those who are least able to bear the brunt will be afforded as much protection as possible.