Around 300 council jobs to go at North Tyneside Council

Aug 14 2009 by Sonia Sharma, The Journal

AROUND 300 council jobs are to be axed as the recession continues to bite.

North Tyneside Council, one of the biggest employers in the region, is asking for voluntary redundancies, but says if not enough people are willing to leave, it may make compulsory pay-offs.

In a letter sent to all staff members, chief executive Andrew Kerr said the authority needs to make extensive savings to help it deliver better services.

The council says the jobs of frontline workers are to be protected, but unions say services would suffer as a result of the redundancies. It is also uncertain whether staff will receive a pay rise this year.

The plans have been attacked by the borough’s opposition Labour group who claim up to 600 jobs from the 7,500 workforce could be under threat.

In his letter, Mr Kerr said the authority’s Value for Money programme must secure savings of at least £104m over the next four and a half years. The proposals include reducing costs and making services more effective by improving management structures and making organisational changes. He added: “Councils cannot detach themselves from the world we live in or fail to recognise the impact on our communities of the current recession.