Anger as dozens of care jobs face the axe
Unions have expressed their anger after learning that 74 jobs are to be axed in adult social care at Hull Council.
The staff under threat work at three day centres, Isaac Newton, Bethune and George Ashton, which are due to be closed.
It also affects staff working in the Community Support Team for Learning Disability, which unions said was going “entirely.”
The adult social care budget, which has already had £10m cuts since 2010, has to save a further £15.3m by April 2020.
Unions, who claim Hull Council is already overspent this year by £1.5m, despite having £5m to save, are concerned the latest cuts degrades the care given to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents and are just the “tip of the iceberg”.
Unison convenor Sarah Littlewood said the community support team helped with access to education, maintaining tenancies and financial management as well as personal care. She said: “By 2020 if we have anything in adult social care, with the exception of safeguarding and commissioning, I would be surprised.”
Coun Helena Spencer, portfolio holder for Public Health and Adult safeguarding, said the changes were “a result of significant changes to the landscape of adult social care”, adding: “Services as they are have ceased to be fit for purpose.”
The CST team would “move from an in-house to a community-based model utilising a framework of providers.”
She said: “Nobody currently in receipt of care and support services will have any changes forced upon them without a full review of their needs, and without full consultation and discussion with them and their families/advocates.”
A council spokesperson said: “The consultation process is ongoing with staff in the 74 affected posts.
“We aim to reduce posts through voluntary redundancies where possible and to ensure that wherever possible, those who wish to stay working for the authority are able to do so, even if this in within an alternative role. We will take every possible step to avoid making compulsory redundancies.”