Croydon Council will begin its first wave of unprecedented cuts to services next week.

Dozens of voluntary organisations could close as councillors prepare to slash their funding by £1.8m.

More than 60 jobs will be lost under council plans to wind up its economic development company designed to boost Croydon’s business sector.

The council also moved to privatise its award-winning adult social care and housing services to sell their services to other authorities.

And fears that 110-year-old Upper Norwood library would close were echoed by protesters gathered at South Norwood library after its hours were cut as part of the cost-cutting exercise.

At the same time an ambitious £350m scheme to regenerate schools in the borough was scrapped by the Government leaving the future of many education projects in jeopardy.

The cuts came as Conservative council leader Mike Fisher and his cabinet members voted themselves whopping pay rises of up to 34 per cent despite having to make more than £70m of cuts from the council budget over the next four years.

Labour group leader Tony Newman called it a “day of shame for the Conservative council”.

Conservative councillors voted through an inflation-busting pay increase for their senior members last Tuesday.

Council leader Mike Fisher is in line for the biggest rise, £12,800 on top of his current Special Responsibility Allowance for his role as leader of the council, an increase of 34 per cent.

He and other senior cabinet members have deferred their rises for a year.