Council backs down on job cuts
A COUNCIL has backed off from plans to lay off more social workers after warnings that cutbacks could lead to a tragedy similar to that of Baby P.
Around 570 staff working in children and young people’s services at Hull Council are being made redundant as part of plans to save £65m. Moves to axe six social workers were part of a plan managers branded “unsafe, unrealistic and unmanageable”.
The council insisted it had listened and was not reducing the number of front-line social workers but Adrian Kennett, from Unison, said services, including many working in preventative organisations, were being decimated. “They are knocking the service back 10 years,” he said.