Sheffield Council cuts 'will cost 1,000 jobs'

PLANS by Sheffield City Council to make savings of almost £220 million in the next four years will lead to more than 1,000 job losses, a leading union has warned.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Sep 2010, 15:08 BST

The GMB said job losses on that scale at the council would be a "major blow" to employment prospects in the area.

The council said it could not put a figure on job losses, adding that it was entering into discussions with trade unions about the spending cuts.

GMB official Tim Roache said: "We believe there will be in excess of 1,000 job losses in Sheffield to achieve this level of savings. This is a major blow to employment in the city and there is no point in the council trying to dispute our figure.

"We will enter into discussions with the council to protect jobs and services as best we can."