WARRINGTON Borough Council is set to axe a total of 227 jobs over the coming 12 months to help achieve £22 million savings which need to be made over the next three years.
The council is appealing to residents, local businesses, service users and employees to have their say on the council’s budget and help find the best solutions to make the savings, while protecting the most important front line services.
A consultation document sets out how the council currently spends its budget together with some initial ideas for how to reach the £14m savings required in 2012/13, which include the proposed job cuts which are on top of a similar number of jobs losses announced last year.
Cllr Peter Carey, (pictured) executive board member for corporate resources and services said the council was operating “an open and honest policy” on its budget and wherever possible job losses would be through existing vacant positions or voluntary. About 10 per cent of job losses could be compulsory although it was hoped to minimise this through consultation.
He said: “Many factors affect our budget including an increase in demand for services and increased costs involved in providing local services. The biggest factor is the decrease in funding from central government, which will mean £24 less per person for everyone in the borough next year on top of the £28.50 a head decrease last year.
“We continue to face tough decisions about how we spend our money as well as doing everything possible to maintain the high-quality services we know you rely on.
“This is why it’s vital for residents take part and let us know what’s important to you. We want to hear your views on these proposals, so that we can ensure we spend our limited resources in the wisest way possible.”
The consultation document is available online at www.warrington.gov.uk/budget and follow the ‘quick links’ to the budget consultation or pick up a paper copy at Contact Warrington on Horsemarket Street.
To contact the council email your views on a particular topic to [email protected]
Join the debate on the council Facebook site www.facebook.com/warringtonbc
Follow the council on Twitter www.twitter.com/warringtonbc
The consultation period will close on January 31 and all the ideas and views put forward will go before councillors to consider when they debate the budget for next year.
The final budget will be presented to Full Council on Monday March 5.
Council set to axe more jobs
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
6 Comments
Get rid of half the councillors would be a start, and employ officers who live in the area and care for the town. Stop using consultants on everything would be another massive saving.
Get rid of many more employees, there will be no-one left to manage.
Good to hear that the Executive Board member for Finance has an opinion. He has so far been conspicuous by his silence so far since he was elected. I do hope that this “cull” starts at the top which will make the biggest impact since they are paid well over their value. We could start at the top with the Chief Excecutive a post which is being lost in other Councils in this region. Unless were are to retuirn to the Committee structure in the new Financial Year I agree that most of our elected Councillors are surplus to requirements. We could halve the numbers to, say, 30, without loss of democracy since there is currently no consultation with the electorate and things are dealt with my the Executive Board in a very autocratic way. We can but hope! When is WBC going to realise that by getting rid of this number of front line staff then front line services suffer? I’m sure that if asked the electorate would have very different views. Suggest we all get on the Budget consultation but as usual we haven’t got long as this closes on 31st Jan – a period of less than 2 weeks!
Another 227 on top of the 500 individual posts – I understand the budget doc tells you nothing but then lets look at Labour
They cocked up the country and then they agree that cuts are right after all
Just to cut posts does not always give you answers
Let’s stop moaning about this and let the elected members get on with what is already a tough job , UDERSTAND !!
9% payrise for the Chief Executive…. I see the councillors don’t mention that little beauty when they start to cut jobs!!
What I understand is that elected members are allowing already overpaid executives to award themselves huge pay rises while cutting jobs in front line services. They have the power with the new Localism Bill to stop that and -ideally – reverse last year’s daft award. If they don’t, I hope they get told what people think of them at the ballot box.