400 jobs under threat at Stockport Council

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Local Government and also in Communities

The jobs cull at local authorities because of Government spending cuts continued today with the prospect of another 400 losses, fuelling fears that tens of thousands of posts are set to be axed.

The GMB union said it had been told that up to 400 jobs were under threat at Stockport Council as the authority sought to find £53 million of savings by 2014-15.

The union highlighted the threat to more than 3,000 jobs yesterday at councils in Barnsley, Rochdale and Warwickshire, with the prospect of tens of thousands more losses to come across the country in the next few months.

Karen Lewis, the GMB's regional officer in Stockport, said: "These are disappointing cuts which will have a severe impact on jobs and on services in Stockport."

The reductions are across the board, excluding education staff, said the GMB, adding that the authority was facing a 23% reduction in central Government funding.

The council is proposing that the 400 posts will be made redundant before April 2011, said the GMB.

A Stockport Council spokesman said: "The council's executive has considered a report setting out the financial implications of the comprehensive spending review, agreed the indicative financial plan 2011/12 and asked that proposals be brought to the next meeting on November 29 which addresses the indicative savings requirements of just over £20 million.

"At this stage the figures are set out as a range of outcomes with the best estimates suggesting that the council will need to make savings of around £20 million in the next financial year, building up to almost £53 million by 2014/15. However, these figures will only become clear once the council receives the local government grant settlement on December 2.

"The council's position is that it will seek volunteers wherever possible among employees whose job roles are set to reduce, and therefore minimise the need for compulsory redundancies."