MORE jobs are set to go at Warrington Borough Council in a bid to achieve £23m in budget savings.
Recently elected Warrington Borough Council leader Cllr Russ Bowden had a “challenging day” earlier this week presenting the 2019-20 budget to the controlling Labour group, with the council facing a further £23m in cuts.
Since 2010 the council’s workforce has decreased from 604-434 and more jobs are set to go in the latest round of cutbacks.
Cllr Bowden, said: “Since 2010, we have had to make £137m of cuts from our revenue budget. During this period, our workforce has reduced by 604 staff, of which 434 were achieved through voluntary redundancies.
“This year, we have a funding shortfall of £23m, and inevitably, there will be cuts that impact on our workforce. We will continue to do our utmost to protect frontline staff and will work closely in consultation with our trade union colleagues on any restructuring and potential redundancies.
“We are also doing all we can to generate income to protect vital Council services. Our enterprise initiatives, such as the acquisition of Birchwood Park and investment in renewable energy schemes, which now bring in £30m a year in revenue. Without this innovation, which continues, we would be in a far worse financial position.”
Challenging day presenting the 2019/20 Budget to our @UKLabour Group in #Warrington – another £23m of cuts. Without £30m of income from our Enterprise initiatives, we would be in a far worse place #austerityisntover @LGA_Labour
— Cllr Russ Bowden (@CllrRussBowden) January 26, 2019
1 Comment
So no pay rise for the councillors this year then?