TENDRING Council leader Mick Page has laid out the challenges facing the district over the coming year.

Mr Page gave the annual State of Tendring speech at Clacton Town Hall.

He said the council faces massive challenges after its budget was axed from £22million in 2010 to just £14million after Government cuts.

Mr Page said: “We start the new financial year with the council on a sound financial footing despite unprecedented cuts to our budget from Government, increasing demand for service, freezing council tax and commitment to delivering an ambitious range of projects.”

He wants the council to become selfsufficient so it does not have to rely on Government funding.

Mr Page said one of the toughest problems facing the district in the future was designing a new planning blueprint for Tendring.

The council is controversially set to earmark 12,000 homes for the district over the next 15 years after original plans for 6,000 homes were thrown out.

“We are now seeing developers making speculative applications for large numbers of houses in locations we do not feel are right for this district,” Mr Page went on to add.