Union slams £1.7m cuts for jobs service

A UNION has condemned £1.7 million cuts to a service that tackles youth unemployment, drugs, homelessness and anti-social behaviour.
UNISON bosses dub the cuts to Cheshire and Warrington Connexions as “madness.”
The service faces major cuts and redundancies over the next four weeks. This follows a 24 per cent cut in the Area Based Grant provided by the Coalition Government, and a decision by Cheshire councils to fully pass on these cuts.
In total the cuts amount to £1.7 million, with £530,000 from Warrington.
Union leaders say that cutting the service with more than a million young people out of work, and a shortage of university places, is “just unbelievable.” They claim extra spending on countering anti-social behaviour will be undone by a decision that will cut the number of youth workers and youth clubs.
Connexions, which provides careers guidance and youth services to people aged 13 to 19-years-old, faces 80 redundancies by the end of August – most of them compulsory. Staff are also being asked to take a 10 per cent cut in hours until April, and there will be some restructuring and cuts in services.
In Warrington the Integrated Youth Support Service, which started three years ago, will be dismantled with the borough council taking over the running of the youth service.
Union bosses are complaining about the speed of the redundancies.
West Cheshire UNISON assistant branch secretary Ray McHale said: “Connexion’s personal advisers and youth workers work with young people who have a range of problems. Drug and alcohol use, mental health problems, parental abuse, homelessness, criminal convictions. They also work to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies.
“Cutting the service will be more costly in the long run and will impact on communities through an increased number of young people hanging around on the street and causing anti-social behaviour.”