Council meetings are to be cut to save cash and avoid redundancies.

Worthing Borough Council has announced there will be no compulsory job cuts over the next year and that council tax will be frozen despite a huge cut in its Government funding.

The 2011/12 budget includes a plan to reduce the number of public meetings by a third to try to save up to £90,000 per year.

Council leader Paul Yallop described the move as a “democratic streamlining” and said it was designed to meet the wishes of residents who wanted to see a reduction in administration costs.

Worthing will see its government grant cut by more than 16% this year - a reduction of more than £1 million - but the council tax freeze will mean that Band D residents will continue to pay £216.