Councils dismiss claim of 7,000 job cuts as 'pure speculation'

Reports yesterday suggested as many as 5,000 posts were to be cut in West Yorkshire alone, another 1,000 to be slashed in Sheffield and hundreds at risk in Wakefield and Calderdale.

The councils – which from next year are facing predicted budget cuts of up to 10 per cent from central Government – have denied any plans have been made to take such drastic action and said the figures released by the BBC were "wrong".

Leeds City Council has announced 300 jobs are to go next year but denied reports they plan to reduce the workforce by 1,400 within five years, Bradford denied claims they are to cut 1,000 jobs and Sheffield said they only plan to axe 100 posts.

The figures came from a survey that asked the authorities how their staff numbers might change in five years, if there was a budget cut of 10 per cent.

Local Government Secretary John Denham told the Yorkshire Post it would be "impossible and irresponsible" to put a figure on how many jobs might be lost.

"I do believe front line services can be protected and improved – provided local authorities take the necessary decisions about the back office," he said. "It would be quite impossible – not to say irresponsible – to pluck a figure out of the air and say this is what I think the number of job losses will be in years to come."

Ten councils in the region have announced job cuts – Kirklees said 1,500 posts will be axed and North Yorkshire County Council said up to 500 could go in the next three years.

Leeds City Council cut 320 posts last year, plan to axe a further 130 before March and another 300 in the next financial year.

Craven, Harrogate, Scarborough, Hull, Sheffield and Doncaster have also confirmed some reductions will need to be made – but fewer than 200 between them.

Calderdale has offered 500 staff the opportunity of early retirement but said there are no plans for redundancies.

Nine other councils are adamant there are no plans for job cuts and hope to make their savings elsewhere.

Three authorities – York, Wakefield and Ryedale – failed to respond to the Yorkshire Post inquiry.

John Mothersole, chief executive at Sheffield City Council, said: "There are no actual plans to cut a thousand jobs.

"Simple arithmetic does say, however, that for an organisation of our size which primarily employs people to deliver services, then any significant reduction in funds will lead to a smaller workforce, but to suggest that we have plans to make up to 1,000 redundancies is wrong."

A spokeswoman for Leeds City Council said: "This is pure speculation. We are looking at making 22m of savings next year, on top of 20m savings we made this year. The 300 posts to go next year should be through natural wastage, there are no plans for any redundancies, voluntary or compulsory."

Bradford Council's chief executive Tony Reeves, said: "The figure announced by the BBC of 1,000 job losses within the next five years has not been issued by Bradford Council. No job loss announcements have been made, it is just speculation."