70 at risk of compulsory redundancy after town hall merger

Apr 4 2009 by Dave Black, The Journal

BOSSES at the new Northumberland County Council could make up to 70 compulsory redundancies.

The new authority has to shed up to 800 local government posts as part of the arrival of the county’s new super council.

Major cuts in manpower under the switch to an all-purpose unitary council earlier this week will mainly be achieved through 450 to 500 voluntary redundancies and not filling up to 300 vacant posts.

But yesterday bosses at the new council revealed that 70 workers who want to keep their jobs remain at risk of compulsory redundancy in the drive to make budget savings of £25m this year.

Chief executive Steve Stewart said efforts would continue to find alternative posts for them, but admitted it could be September before their futures are finally settled.

Up to 800 local government posts are being lost to help the new unitary county council balance its first budget – and although it took over on Wednesday the process of placing staff in their new roles has not yet been completed.

Yesterday Mr Stewart said he could not comment on claims that hundreds more jobs might have to go next year as the squeeze on local government budgets continues.

But he admitted the budget situation was likely to be just as tough in 2010/11 and could be even worse if rumours of a Government U-turn on its current three-year commitment to local government funding prove accurate.

He said the vast majority of county council employees are now in post under the new set-up, although parts of the staffing structure remain to be completed in the next few weeks.