Almost £50m of further cuts and savings will need to be found to plug a budget gap at County Hall - and people in Norfolk are set to be asked to pay more council tax.
Norfolk County Council says it is facing a "significant challenge" when it comes to setting its budget for next year, with millions of pounds due to be slashed from children's services and adult social care.
So far, £26.5m of savings have been proposed by the Conservative-controlled council, including £14.2m from adult social services and £4.8m from children's services.
Some of the money would be saved by spending less on residential care places, by encouraging people to live independently.
More will be developed over the next few months, ahead of the budget setting in February.
Andrew Jamieson, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said inflation and population changes in Norfolk had added millions of pounds to the council's bill to provide services.
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And he called on the government to give more clarity and certainty over the money which councils can expect from Whitehall.
He said: "Despite major uncertainties, the proposals set out in this report make a significant contribution towards our £46.2m savings target and will enable the council to continue to deliver key services for Norfolk’s residents.
"We will balance the books, as we always have done. I am determined that we should concentrate on transforming the way the council works and, wherever possible, reduce the impact on the services that people receive.
“This gets tougher and tougher to achieve, after more than a decade of reduced funding. All councils are facing these pressures and that is why we continue to press for multi-year settlements and fairer funding, so that the government can give us more certainty when planning our budgets.”
The council's proposals, which will be discussed by the authority's cabinet on Monday, October 2, include an increase of 4.99pc in County Hall's share of the council tax, including a portion ring-fenced for adult social care.
Steve Morphew, leader of the opposition Labour group at County Hall, said: "A combination of their government’s neglect and their own mismanagement is leaving Norfolk poorer, less well served and more vulnerable.
"Another 5pc increase means another £25m from hard-pressed council tax payers – and yet they still have not found £20m of the £46m cuts they need?"
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