Walsall Council loses FIFTH of workers in six years as more face axe
The number of Walsall Council employees has been cut by over a fifth since 2010 – with more staff expecting to be axed.
Restructuring across departments is ongoing and the number of senior and middle managers will further decrease, according to a report to the council.
The figures in the public documents set to be discussed at an audit committee meeting show the council employed 3,726 staff in 2010.
But today that number is 2,921.
In a report to be seen by councillors next week, senior officers warn taxpayers still seem ignorant of the vast the impact of cuts and the impact that will have on services.
It states: "There appears to be an apparent dissonance between the acknowledgement that service design, delivery and scale have and will continue to change and the expectation that somehow the Council will maintain long standing approaches and service levels.
"This will need ongoing attention both within the Council and in order to ensure that the scale of the change is understood by the people of Walsall."
The issue of senior and middle managers leaving the authority is also raised in the papers, with it being admitted that their departures are forcing people to be put in charge of services that they have not previously been involved with.
It states: "The numbers of senior and middle managers continue to fall and there is an ongoing process of restructuring within
and across directorates.
"The scale of these changes is leading to new approaches to service provision often being managed by people who have been asked to take responsibility for services not previously managed.
"It is acknowledged that the pace of change and different ways of working are unfamiliar and will take time for Members
and officers to become familiar with."
