180 more jobs to go at Stoke-on-Trent City Council
ALMOST 200 more council jobs are to be cut to help save £2 million.
Scores of the 180 affected workers at Stoke-on-Trent City Council face compulsory redundancy because too few have agreed to leave voluntarily.
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Questions: Councillor Dave Conway fears for services.
The £2 million cuts in the council's 'city renewal' department are likely to hit crucial services in highways, grounds maintenance, parks, construction and leisure.
Union calls for alternative budget cuts have been rejected to leave some of the authority's lowest paid workers facing losing their jobs.
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The proposed job losses come as leaders are locked in talks this week over plans to cut another £23 million from April which will see further redundancies confirmed. The Sentinel understands less than half of the initial 180 workers at risk of redundancy have registered an interest in leaving voluntarily and just a handful have signed agreements.
Unison Stoke-on-Trent's branch secretary Clive Rushton said: "For low-paid workers without long service, and especially those under 40, voluntary redundancy really delivers very little for them.
"There are people who want and need to keep these jobs."
Cabinet members and senior officers held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss budget cuts for 2013/14 and proposals are thought to be imminent.
The Labour-run authority has confirmed it will not increase council tax from April but has warned residents to prepare for major cuts.
Mr Rushton said Unison fears the worst for members. He added: "The worry is there is no way that the next round of cuts will not hit frontline services.
"When there is no meat on the bone you have to cut into the bone itself.
"We sit in trepidation for our members, not just because people are going to lose their jobs, but because of the impact on those left behind if they are expected to pick up the workload."
More than 600 workers registered an interest in quitting the council earlier this year after the authority announced plans to cut 232 jobs as part of its 2012/13 budget. A further 69 vacant posts were not filled.
A total of 800 redundancies were made in 2011.
Councillor Dave Conway, leader of the opposition City Independents group, said: "These latest job cuts are in frontline services. The big question is whether the council is making the work redundant at the same time as the workers.
"If it is I want to know how and if it isn't I don't see how the services will cope."
Asked about the planned job losses, Councillor Olwen Hamer, cabinet member for transformation and resources, said: "The city council works very hard to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible and these matters are currently being discussed with the trade unions.
"There will be further detailed discussions with employees."
Comments
by stokepotter
Monday, January 07 2013, 12:02AM
“My out of work stepson went on a course recently with one of the 'redundant' council workers. This guy got a £40K redundancy money payout. The stepson then got an email from this guy to say that he had been re-employed by the council to photocopy documents. The advert for the job stated that you needed public sector experience!! The guy also kept his £40k. Nice work if you can get it and blow the council tax payers and the Services cuts.”
by Robnoxious
Saturday, November 24 2012, 2:36PM
“Still have not heard what is good about Tunstall. Is it the closure of the care homes, the reduction in services , Community Centre closures, Tunstall Baths, you need to be giving us a clue about what is good about this Labour run council. The only thing we can go on that you despise Mick Salih and Dave Conway, 2 people that are standing up to be counted. What you do despise is the fact that they are, and had the conviction to leave this corrupt Labour Party. So tell us all, WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT THIS LABOUR RUN COUNCIL. One last guess, ahh, THE MOVE TO UP ANLY DUCK.. If and i say if,you do come up with anything constructive, tell pervez and save us £25k what they are frauding the taxpayer of. I'll be seeing black beauty first, unless someone has pinched it. POLICE, DER-DER DER-DER.”
by spudder56
Saturday, November 24 2012, 11:29AM
“by mole10Friday, November 23 2012, 1:23PM
"Why is full employment unachieveable?"
QUITE SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE HAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE PEOPLE WHO WONT WORK”
by Tunstall2011
Saturday, November 24 2012, 11:21AM
“by warren-lloyd
"Conways crossed the council chamber floor that many times, he's more like the Civic Center mouse then any bread of dog. His office would be a smoking shelter."
warren-lloyd
I hear that Conway conducts most of his business in the street outside the town hall puffing away on his roll-ups.
Very professional.”
by summertime
Friday, November 23 2012, 4:16PM
“Its the council members and their over inflated salaries that need to go!I”
by mole10
Friday, November 23 2012, 4:14PM
“I wrote that this Council is running late with its annual Christmas redundancy threats for its loyal workforce.
24 hours later the Sentinel front page 180 redundancies for loyal Council workers.
Am I a clairvoyant?
No. We just have a useless Council that is just plain obvious and predictable.”
by camband
Friday, November 23 2012, 3:56PM
“I've heard on the grape vine that some of the highly paid City Council Executives have been seen -in disguise, in Burton Stores.... 'troughing it'.”
by Robnoxious
Friday, November 23 2012, 2:22PM
“You will always strive for full employment, that will always be the target you will be aiming for. While i can not tell you how to achieve it, i can tell you why we won't in the current state we find ourselves in.Money, the lack of it. Immigration control, the lack of it. Investment in the infrastructure, the lack of it. manufacturing base, the lack of it. The willingness to work, the lack of it. The people to turn it around, THE LACK OF THEM.”
by killaspam
Friday, November 23 2012, 1:39PM
“i'm sorry but after reading through some of the comments i feel i must say we live in a city that is all mouth and no action.
1, why do we need 2 or 3 councillors per ward? the wage and expenditure should be questioned.
2, why is the council spending £40 million but has got to cut £2 million (lets do some simple maths)
3, a vote of no confidence is needed (did anybody watch the year the town hall shrank)
4, everyone of the people that sit in the council chambers is there for themselves not joe public ask where they were last tuesday night living it large at port vale ground being wined and dined.
5, we moaned about the bnp but they got something done so at the next election vote to remove labour and make city a better place to live elect local housewives they control a budget everyday......
pervez and la van go home are here for thenselves and they even need assistants for that for god sake we are laughing stocks”
by mole10
Friday, November 23 2012, 1:23PM
“Why is full employment unachieveable?”