ABOUT 400 people attended events organised by Monmouthshire council to discuss the authority’s forthcoming budget cuts last week.

Around 50 people took part in the first in Abergavenny on Monday and in Chepstow on Thursday, along with another 25 in Monmouth on Tuesday and in Caldicot on Wednesday.

And a council spokesman said a 250 attended events in Magor, Tintern, Devauden, Raglan, Usk and Gilwern.

The council’s cabinet member for resources Councillor Phil Murphy gave a presentation at each of the events on how the authority needs to make savings of £10 million over the next three years and how a gap of £400,000 needs to be filled for 2015/16.

At the event at Chepstow School on Thursday, Gillian Piggott, 72, of St Lawrence Park, said: “I am concerned with the school transport proposal that to get free transport children will have to live three miles away.

“Three miles is a long way to walk, especially with books and sport equipment.”

Maureen Pouton, 78, of Kingsmark Lane, agreed, saying: “Low income families can’t afford that and people have more than one child to pay for.”

The two women are part of Chepstow’s U3A (University of the Third Age and are regular users of the town’s library and have concerns with the proposals to merge the one stop shops with those across the county.

Ms Piggott said: “I’m not sure whether this will affect the standard of the library.”

Councillors decide on the final budget on January 22.