700 Wolverhampton City Council staff on zero-hour contracts

The Labour-controlled authority is named in reports as one of the worst in the country for using the deals, which Ed Miliband has pledged to outlaw.

Last night bosses at the Civic Centre said the council was now 'phasing out' the arrangements for its casual workers.

It follows reports last year that Dudley Council used them for 192 workers as well, despite Labour having been very critical of them. The council said its policy was to keep their use to a 'minimum' and use them only when there was 'no alternative'.

A zero hours contract is generally where the employer is not obliged to provide the worker with any minimum working hours, and the worker is not obliged to accept any of the hours offered.

Labour was also branded hypocritical after many of councils under its control were revealed to have been still using them 20 years after Tony Blair pledged they would be abolished.

Liverpool City Council has had 442 staff on the contracts, while Ealing in London had 278. Both were overshadowed by the Wolverhampton figure and council's leader, Roger Lawrence revealed today the contracts were being phased out.

In May 2014 the council had as many as 738 staff on zero hours contracts. That figure now stands at 414 with bosses stressing they are 'not using them in an exploitative way'. It also offered formal contracts to those who were found to be doing regular work.

Councillor Lawrence said many of the staff worked at the Civic Halls in areas such as behind the bar. However, the council is going to recruit roles through its own recruitment agency Yoo Recruit, in Queen Square, and phase out zero hours. Councillor Lawrence said: "We use zero hours for Civic Hall casual bar staff. We're doing away with virtually all zero hours."

Through the recruitment agency staff will be given training and helped to take on work in other areas of the council.

Reports zero hours contracts were used by 68 Labour MPs to employ casual workers were dismissed by two Black Country candidates. Adrian Bailey and Valerie Vaz, defending their seats in West Bromwich West and Walsall South respectively, said they had employed people on casual contracts permitted by Parliamentary watchdogs.