Jobs are on the line after Whitehall this year slashed millions of pounds from council budgets. Since the government wants to reduce the huge national debt, local authorities were dealt the cash blow, none more so than Hampshire County Council, which had a reduction of £6.205m to its budget, a 0.6 per cent decline. This includes reductions in education and children's services; as well as £600,000 cut from the budget which pays staff to handle payments to vulnerable people, and almost £600,000 cut from a road safety grant.