THE leader of Barnet Council has said she has “every empathy” with people affected by the upcoming cuts to services.

On Tuesday councillors moved a step closer to slashing £54m in costs in the next three years by approving the budget, following a huge cut in Government grants.

It will see a reduction in many services, but Councillor Lynne Hillan says they will still protect the “most vulnerable”.

She said: “I've every empathy for any resident affected by any cuts or increased charges.

“However, we have managed to keep council tax down to zero for two years which has benefited every single resident in the borough in these difficult times.”

Councillors were forced to flee the room after Monday night's volatile cabinet meeting, where the budget was given initial approval, because of abuse coming from some of 150 members of the public there.

Cllr Hillan said: “I actually feel very sorry for a lot of the people who had genuinely come to see and listen and had genuine concerns.

“If it's something affecting you personally you want to have your say and here the explanations. The minority disrupted the meeting for the majority.

“They wanted to disrupt the meeting come what may.”

She also rejected many resident's claims there had not been meaningful consultation on the planned cuts, and said the council were taking residents' opinions into consideration.

“It's difficult. People are always going to say no if we ask about cutting services. We have to work through that as we just do not have the money any more,” she added.

Last week the Times Series revealed Cllr Hillan wrote in January to Local Government Minister Eric Pickles asking for more cash from the Government for schools.

Opposition councillors were quick to pounce on this and say it was evidence the council needed the £27m lost in failed Icelandic banks and other projects.

But Cllr Hillan defended the decision to write the letter, adding: “It was a follow-up to many conversations we had had.

“We have an issue with school places in Barnet because we have some of the best state and special schools in the country and people want to live in the area.

“However, with the level of funding at the moment we will not be able to provide the school places that we need.

“I needed to put a marker down now as presumably as the Government gets bedded in there will be pots of money coming down local investment.”

She also defended the council's £30,000 Pledgebank website designed to get residents involved in Big Society projects.

Since it launched in January only five pledges being lodged and only a council-led one getting enough volunteers to go ahead.

She said: “I think as the Big Society beds in it will start to grow. It's something Barnet's been looking at for a long time, to develop a new relationship with residents.

“For many years the system has taken over residents' lives and the more services you offer the more people come to expect from you.

“The idea is to get people to take control of their own communities. It's early days yet but we already have a few ideas there.”