CHESHAM Town Council may have to make staff cuts if it wants to end its contracts to maintain school grounds around the town.

At a meeting of the council's sport and leisure committee last Monday, councillors discussed the option of terminating its contracts with five Chesham schools in a bid to reduce the council's workload.

The option is being considered to allow the council's six-strong workforce to concentrate on other jobs in the town which havefallen behind.

But a report drawn up by council officers said ending the contracts would lose the council more than £12,500 income which could lead to staff cuts in order to balance the books.

Cllr Alan Bacon (Lib Dem, Lowndes), said: "We will have to make staff redundancies and that is something we won't want to do."

But Cllr Nancy Downs (Lib Dem, Townsend), said it was not good enough for the council to say that one thing could only be done at the expense of another and suggested putting up the council's share of tax instead of making redundancies.

Councillors are now awaiting a report from the council's parks and premises manager later this year.