Council jobs will be axed
Stafford Borough Council is to axe around 30 jobs to save costs – at the same time as spending up to £33,000 on a new worker to encourage people to lose weight.
The cash-strapped council is trying to fill a black hole in its budget caused by falling interest rates and lower revenue from car parks.
The authority has repeatedly said it is looking to shed staff but has not put a total figure on the amount of employees affected until now.
Today, the council said around 30 jobs were likely to be cut in total from four departments – leisure, planning and engineering, regeneration and finance.
The borough council says the losses will be made either by not replacing people when they leave or through voluntary redundancies and early retirement – but says compulsory redundancies are "likely".
The jobs are due to be axed over the coming months and the move is designed to help make £2 million in savings during the next financial year. Borough council spokesman Will Conaghan said the 30 posts had to go to balance the budget and employees identified as being "at risk" had been informed.
He added: "The council continues not filling vacancies and we are looking at voluntary redundancies and early retirement. Regrettably, it is likely there will be compulsory redundancies but this will always be a last resort."
Meanwhile the council is advertising for a "health strategy officer'' who will be employed on a fixed 18-month contract and paid between £18,907 and £22,746 per year – adding up to a potential total cost of more than £33,000.
Despite making job losses and freezing recruitment in other areas, the authority says it has an ''emerging health agenda" and needs to take on someone to "deliver a joined-up campaign message".
It says the new health strategy officer will ''develop, deliver and evaluate health promotion campaigns that support delivery of key public health objectives in the borough, including those relating to smoking, obesity, exercise, weight management and workplace health."
Stafford Borough Council leader Judith Dalgarno defended the move and said the entire cost of the post would be paid for by local health bosses.
She said: "The council works in partnership with the South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust, who are providing funding for this post. One of the council's top priorities is the improvement of health and well-being in our community and this post will help the council achieve that aim. It is a Government requirement that the council produces a health strategy."
