Opposition leaders say Southampton City Council is preparing to cut 600 more jobs in the next three years

Public toilets in Portswood and Woolston face closure while residents will have to pay nearly two per cent more in council tax.

And there are fears that cash-strapped civic chiefs are already preparing to axe another 600 jobs over the next three years.

Opposition councillors have accused Labour council leaders of forcing residents to “pay more for less” with council tax set to go up again, while campaigners have vowed to fight any potential library closure.

As reported, civic chiefs are battling to balance the books in the face of a £31million black hole in the city's finances next year, and have blamed continuing Government funding cuts for the situation.

They had already agreed a “mini-budget” of £8.1million of savings earlier this year, which were largely efficiency savings but also included the closure of the city's dog kennels and the loss of 80 jobs.

Last night it was revealed that another 137 jobs - largely in frontline social care - are at risk and council tax could go up by 1.99 per cent again as part of £17million of service cuts in the budget proposals for 2015/16.

Council chiefs have stressed that they may not be made redundant, and some could find new jobs if their roles are transferred to the local NHS.

Public toilets in Portswood and Woolston would close, while all remaining council staff would move out of One Guildhall Square to the Civic Centre and a new tenant would move in which would pay rent to the authority.

Council chiefs have proposed other savings by making efficiencies across the council, while the council could even save £6,000 by not employing a part-time worker to check the medieval city wall gates are closed - something that would then be done by council cleaning teams.

They have also used £9.9million of one-off funding including Government grants to lessen the blow.

But they are still left with a £4.3million gap they will need to fund before February, when the full budget is set.

Proposal savings do not include the potential closure of Woodside Residential Home, Kentish House respite centre and day services for adults with learning disabilities.

They were revealed earlier this year, but the proposals - which would lead to the loss of another 88 jobs - will now be discussed by the council's cabinet next month, and even if approved may not form part of the 2015/16 budget.

In total, it means that as many as 300 jobs could be lost next year alone.

In the budget report, council officers have estimated potential savings within human resources and IT from an “assumed reduction of 300 staff per annum for three years”.

Council leaders insist that does not mean they have already identified future job losses, but that they expect workers to leave to work for other partner organisations, other public bodies, retire or leave the council.

But Conservative opposition leader Royston Smith said: “I am convinced that this means the council are already lining up 600 job losses over the following two years. And they were elected on a manifesto that no jobs would go.

“The doors are closing in on them, and they are backing themselves into a corner and a position where there's going to be absolute chaos in future years.

Cllr Royston Smith

“If they had carried out major change before like we suggested they wouldn't be in this position.”

Labour city council leader Simon Letts said: “This is the worst of the five years in grant cuts from Government since 2010.

“And it's been the hardest year to resolve because obviously in the first years we took the easier options, but we are now down to the vital services which people quite rightly expect us to operate for them.

“We are doing all in our power to ensure those vital services are kept running at an effective level.”

Council leader Simon Letts

Anti-cuts Putting People First councillor Keith Morrell said: “Libraries and care homes will close down and workers be made redundant but the council tax goes up. Less for more. What kind of mad world are we living in?

“If Southampton's Labour councillors were honest they would say 'We weren't elected to close libraries and care homes and make workers redundant. But we will, because we're spineless and won't stand up and fight for the people who voted for us because they thought we'd be different from the Tories'.”

Hayley Garner, from union UNISON, said: “We are opposed to any redundancies or proposed redundancies and we want to keep our members in jobs and essential services running.

“We acknowledge there is a huge amount of money to be saved, and I think that the administration has done some good work in bridging the gap.

“It is difficult. We don't want to see our staff lose their jobs and we will work with the administration to look at any alternative ways.”