Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Council warns of huge job cutbacks
Monday 1st March 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
Thousands of jobs could be lost at a Black Country council, its leader warned today.
Up to half of Walsall Council’s 10,150-strong workforce could be made redundant over the next five years if government cuts continue.
The authority is trying to make £11.2 million of savings over the next year.
Tory council leader Councillor Mike Bird said: “It’s quite horrendous to think of the levels of cuts we would have to make. We can’t keep cutting services that we are required to give by law, we would have to do them with fewer people.”
The warning is the most dramatic example of the effects cuts are having on councils across the West Midlands.
Birmingham City Council is looking at up to 2,000 job cuts as part of a bid to save £69m.
And Wolverhampton City Council is axing 183 jobs with a voluntary redundancy scheme open until the end of March.
Across England up to 25,000 jobs in councils are at risk over the next three to five years.
Council finance chiefs throughout the region are preparing for the loss of up to three per cent of their grants from central government.
Sponsored Links
UK News
Most Commented
- Host of clubs chasing Wolves star Matt Jarvis
- Wolves confirm interest in Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarson
- Chris Hughton still favourite but Albion will not be rushed
- Ray Wilkins in shock link with West Brom job
- Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarson 'will have ideal grounding at Wolves'
- Bjorn: 'I'd love to play for Wolves'
- Danny Batth: 'My heart is still set on making the Wolves first-team'
Business Awards
Read the full story here
Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
council’s are there own worst enemy’s, it there own fault for letting people buy there council house’s, hence no continual income for council’s so they have had to rely on council tax and govermant funding’s. fool’s
Report abuse
It’s the way in which councils constantly waste tax payers money thats the problem.
Report abuse
Perhaps one way of saving money would be for counciller not to be paid we have 3 councillers in our ward each receive minimum of £9,999. perhaps they should do it for free like years ago.
Report abuse
I agree. I’d do it for free. It’s only a couple of meetings a week, if that. They even claim the travel expensese to get there!
Report abuse
In which case, Sam, get yourself down to the electoral registration office and pick up a nomination form. Then all you need to do is to persuade ten people to nominate you on the form and a few thousand voters to put a cross against you name on May 6th.
Hey presto, you’re a councillor.
Report abuse
Well Walsall council can get rid of the dog wardens for a start. There is dog fouling everywhere – but not a warden to be seen…
Report abuse
reduce the councillors thus reduce wages and expenses easy
Report abuse
Perhaps before Cllr Bird makes off the cuff remarks about job losses he should get his figures right – his initial comments on the radio said there were 16000 staff directly employed by Walsall Council and that 8000 could be made redundant. That’s a far cry from 10150 staff and a few hundred job cuts!
Wonder if his seat is one up for re-election this spring…
Report abuse
If the Council can do without hundreds of employees and still maintain services, why were they employed in the first place? The basic problem is that the people running the Council are not management trained. Their first instinct is to employ someone without going through the basic principles of management.
a) Do we need the job done in the first instance?
b) Can we re-jig existing personnel duties to do the tasks?
c) What is the lowest grade personnel who is capable of doing the job.
In addition, councils are notorious for not sacking incompetents. Thus if someone doesn’t perform they don’t dismiss them, they merely take on another employee to do the job.
Report abuse