Cornwall Council admits compulsory job cuts planned as it loses 700 jobs
Council leaders in Cornwall have confirmed some members of staff face compulsory redundancy as up to 700 posts at the authority are cut to save money.
A combination of compulsory redundancies, natural wastage, redeployment and unfilled vacancies would contribute to cut 500 – 700 posts, according to the unitary authority.
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As yet is not clear just how many people will be left to face the dole queue.
On Friday last week, councillors approved an emergency budget heralding £10 million worth of cuts from front-line services and £170 million of savings in a bid to balance the books over the next four years.
The move came ahead of the Government's announcement expected this week on how much money individual councils will receive from central Government coffers.
Initially there had been fears that up to 2,000 posts would be going but Kevin Lavery, chief executive at the council said the authority was looking at fewer.
Cornwall Council became the new unitary authority in April last year after the former county council and six district councils were swept away.
As a result the new council inherited all the staff and services from the old councils.
Mr Lavery said cuts were being considered to posts were work was being duplicated.
He said: "Pressure areas are areas like shared services, which is the admin side, finance and processing, neighbourhood services.
"Where we're rolling together all the district and former county council labour forces together, we know there are significant efficiencies and savings to be made there."
The council currently has 1,300 vacancies from where some posts could be slashed.
Sixty councillors voted in favour of the new budget on Friday with 39 against and one abstention.
Adult Social Care, leisure and library services will take the biggest hit in funding with £4 million, £720,000 and £250,000 respectively as part of the £10 million cuts.
Unions have heavily criticised any cuts and were out in force at Friday's budget meeting to voice their fury.
Ian Gayton, the Cornwall Council branch secretary for the GMB union, which has about 1,000 members working for the council at County Hall, said: "People are not only facing redundancy.
"We're in a climate where employment is a bit thin on the ground."
7 Comments
by David, St Austell
Wednesday, December 08 2010, 11:10AM
“I agree with TimV it cannot be possible in a fair (not this one) council to advertise jobs at the same time as making people redundant. Together with axing expensive ego-based projects like the solar farm and there would be no need for any cuts. I won't hold my breath.”
by Dave, Penzance
Tuesday, December 07 2010, 7:26PM
“Roger from Redruth. I am surprised. You advocate sacking people with no redundancy and transferring jobs and services to the voluntary sector. The way that money would be saved would be by cutting salaries, pensions. That is not a great advert for the voluntary sector who will now have more work as more and more people are driven to the edge by loosing their jobs.”
by Roger, Redruth
Tuesday, December 07 2010, 5:52PM
“We need to look at a slimmer local authority, clearly there is poor management culture in this organisation and efficiency's waiting to be made.
Leadership needs to come from the top, the CEO and senior management team need to shrink in size ( that means redundancies at this level, without golden handshakes).
Other savings need to be taken on board, national governments 'Big Society' agenda is looking at the voluntary sector delivering services, we need offer this opportunity to Cornwall's civil society organisations and transfer a large amount of council activity.”
by Timothy, Pz
Tuesday, December 07 2010, 2:59PM
“*unacceptable”
by TimV, Pz
Tuesday, December 07 2010, 2:57PM
“How in the hell can there be suggestions of 700 redundancies if there are 1,300 vacancies? Any fool can see you put a freeze on recruitment and use the existing workforce to fill the vacancies where ever possible. And what of the un-necessary capital schemes which would meet the short fall alone? Perhaps the current financial crisis is being used to impose what would otherwise be unacceptible staffing cuts?”
by PO St Ives, St Ives
Tuesday, December 07 2010, 2:36PM
“Funny how this critical meeting of the council had 23 councillors missing, I can only assume that this was never an important meeting, or was it a forgone conclusion that it would be voted through anyway. As one person who works on the front line, the morale is at rock bottom and most of the staff feel shafted the way we have been treated. If the council at Truro hadn't spent so much money on consultants estimated at over £10,000 a day, would not that money have paid to keep front line staff in jobs. I see that all those people made redundant at the start of this process, left with very golden hanshakes. There were staff on lower scales of pay who offered to be made redundant, but this was declined because of costs, then they changed the rules of redunancy pay off's.
What is frightning, if you can make £170 million in savings by making cuts in services, what was the orginal management doing, mis-spending/wasting money in the past? County historically has always overspent, ran up debts. Local councils had better hold of their funds, some even balanced their books. I find the whole thing smells of conspiracy, from the time they said 'did you want a unitary council' remember they were going to ask you first. But it did get railroaded through anyway.”
by David, St Austell
Tuesday, December 07 2010, 1:40PM
“£10 million cuts in front line services and £14 million spent on a solar farm. Is this a fair council or what?”