A host of meetings will be held by councillors in Ceredigion this week which suggest increasing car parking charges across the county and cutting school budgets by nearly half a million pounds.

Cuts of £493,000 are predicted as part of the upcoming Ceredigion council budget for schools and culture service.

Members of the learning communities overview and scrutiny committee are due to examine the proposals and its £49,841,000 budget for 2021/22 at its meeting on Thursday, 18 February.

A report to the meeting states that schools’ budgets have had an “extremely challenging decade” with staffing reduced at all levels, as has the department’s central staffing.

Savings proposed include £30,000 from WJEC, £45,000 from ERW, £55,000 from additional learning needs transport, £71,931 by closing office canteens and £66,000 staffing costs. Cost pressures of £1.308m require funding including pay awards, catering food inflation, resource pressures and loss of income from increase in free school meals.

No increases to council charges are proposed in areas such as the music service, school meals or Theatr Felinfach.

Elsewhere, around £66,000 is set to be raised by increasing fees and charges in the highways and environmental service – including car parking charges – at Ceredigion County Council, a report has suggested.

The highways and environmental department is facing a £166,000 cut in its budget for 2021-22, which will be partially met by residents.

The service has a £17.062m budget with cost pressures of £684,000 that require funding, a report to thriving communities overview and scrutiny committee on Friday, 19 February states.

Costs related to building regulations will be increased, linked to inflation, as well as allotment charges, while others such as venue hire will remain the same.

Suggested car parking charge rises will range by 10p to 50p depending on the type of car park, ticket and vehicle with larger increases on season tickets.

Burial costs could also be increased by as much as £30 along with proposed increases to harbour, garage and shed charges, mooring fees, highways register and street works.

Other savings are proposed to be made by cutting the Bwcabus contribution by £32,000 and £68,000 from expanding the vacancy factor.

Other proposed cuts will be discussed this week at the healthier communities budget, which will look at cutting the Porth Cymorth Cynnar budget by £34,000.

The overall budget for 2021-22 identified for the integrated services is proposed to be set a £3.467m, which includes cost pressures of around £165,000 requiring funding.

A report to the committee adds that current savings proposals include £29,000 from staffing changes and £5,000 savings from contracts.

Committee members will also examine the £216,000 cuts proposed for Porth Cynnal’s budget, a service providing specialist social care support.