Bosses in U-turn over Walsall Council redundancies

The council, which needs to cut £19 million from its budget, was originally looking at 332 job losses – but the number is now being cut.

The figure of 332 was reduced to 284 when temporary workers had their contracts terminated and bosses have now announced that the total number of jobs lost is expected to be around 210 after chiefs went back to the drawing board with their budget plans.

Some 112 applications for voluntary redundancy have been accepted, while 12 workers have been redeployed to other areas of the local authority.

Finance chief Councillor Chris Towe said £19 million was still being cut but that savings would be made in other areas.

He said: "It is a moving feast at the moment and the proposals are yet to be finalised.

"When we drew up the draft budget it was the worst case scenario but that has now changed and it could still change further.

"We want to keep as many staff on as possible as without workers we won't have a council."

It comes after chiefs revealed the package of savings that would see the children's services department budget cut and Walsall Museum close.

The final budget will be approved next month by the council.

Some £5m will be slashed from the children's services budget.

The department came under fire last year when Ofsted judged safeguarding services and its capacity to improve as inadequate – although it has since improved to be rated as adequate.

It comes after council chiefs insisted they are willing to change their proposals based on the results of a survey.

The local authority, which currently has more than 6,300 workers on the payroll including school staff, will have to reduce its budget by £18.9 million next year and save £104m to cope with cuts in Government funding.

Councillor Towe said applications for voluntary redundancy were still being processed and added: "We will only accept ones that fit with what we are doing.

"It will just not be feasible to let all of the people go that have applied."