Council staff urged to quit and ease pain of job cuts

Joanne Ginley

COUNCIL bosses in Leeds who face making savage cuts of 150m over the next five years have written to thousands of staff seeking volunteers for redundancy or early retirement.

Letters have been sent to employees of Leeds City Council and Education Leeds making it clear the authority “will be a smaller organisation in three years time” and saying it hopes to avoid compulsory redundancies.

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Staff are also being asked to consider reducing their hours temporarily or permanently or to apply for an unpaid career break ahead of expected funding cuts under the Government’s public spending review, details of which will be announced next month.

The authority has already been told it will have 19m less to spend than anticipated, this year alone, and by 2015, it is anticipating it will have to reduce its budget by an estimated 150m.

Authorities across Yorkshire are facing similar tough budget decisions. Thousands of workers at Hull Council are being asked to consider taking voluntary redundancy as the authority estimates it will have to make savings of up to 90m over the next four years.

Sheffield Council is also facing making big cuts while North Yorkshire County Council chief executive Richard Flinton has warned that front-line services will be affected as his authority faces imposing drastic cuts.

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Last night council leader in Leeds and the authority’s executive board member with responsibility for staff Coun Keith Wakefield said: “The council has said all along that it wanted to avoid making compulsory redundancies – offering staff the chance to leave is one way we’re doing just that.

“No-one – especially me – likes having to let people go, but we have to face up to the massive challenges the council faces over the coming years and balance the budget while protecting front line services.”

In Leeds workers over 55, who are in the pension scheme, are entitled to register their interest for early retirement and other staff can opt for voluntary severance.

Casual, temporary workers and school-based staff are not eligible.

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The local authority expects several hundred people will apply, which will help it reduce its workforce over the next five years.

The maximum benefit will be 30 weeks pay for someone who has worked for the council for 20 years.