Lewisham Council’s mayor and cabinet have identified where £20.8m of “very difficult” cuts to services can be made.

But the council has not yet been able to find the full £30m it needs to cut from its services, as a result of a cut in government funding.

All the “difficult” proposals have been through the council’s scrutiny process, cabinet member for finance Cllr Amanda de Ryk said.

Speaking at a mayor and cabinet meeting, she said: “It is very difficult to propose these cuts tonight, and it is very difficult for officers to cut services which in many instances they have spent years building up.”

Approved cuts include £3.7m to the children and young people directorate, with the council already £15.6m overspent on children’s social services.

This money will be found through improving IT systems, and more efficient residential placements.

Cllr de Ryk said the council was confident the savings could be made, despite the overspend.

Cuts to adult social care totalling £4.1m were delegated to the executive director.

Deputy mayor Cllr Chris Best said: “This is a particularly difficult cut to our most frail and vulnerable residents who aren’t here giving their representation because of the situation they are in.”

Proposals to cut more than £7m from the community services budget were either approved or will go out for consultation.

This includes plans to reduce 24/7 CCTV monitoring to 12-hour monitoring and cuts to intensive housing advice and support.

This also includes the proposal to cut all non-statutory obligations around air pollution, which was approved, while the £450k cut to library services was withdrawn while the council makes a feasibility study of rebuilding Lewisham Library.

Proposals to cut Blackheath fireworks  have been put on hold while the council looks to find funding, possibly from neighbouring boroughs.

Around £6.9m worth of cuts in the customer services directorate were approved, or will go out for consultation.

This includes increases in charges for garden waste and commercial waste and bereavement services, while changing the road sweeping frequency from weekly to once every two weeks will now go out for consultation.

Some £3.1m worth of cuts from resource and regeneration was approved or will go out for consultation, while the controversial proposal to cut school crossing patrols – at a saving of £160k – will be reviewed with options brought back to mayor and cabinet.

The approved cuts will be included in the council’s budget for 2019/20.