I will always be remembered as the man who axed 3,000 jobs

Tom Riordan, who has only been chief executive at Leeds City Council for seven months, said the challenge facing local government was as tough as anything he had ever faced.

The former chief of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward admitted the start to his new role had been a “baptism of fire” – in February a meeting of the full council was halted as protesters broke into the chamber as the authority approved plans for cuts to services.

The authority is having to axe around 3,000 jobs over the next four years as it battles to save £150m by 2015.

Around 1,000 staff have already left and another 500 will have gone by this time next year.

Mr Riordan said the authority has worked as hard as it could to treat those being made redundant with respect for the work they have done.

“Whatever I do I will be known as the person who came in and has overseen 3,000 job losses. What I have tried very hard to do is to do it in a way that treats people as human beings, with families and careers and most who are citizens of Leeds.

“To operate in line with a set of values, to be open, to look for value for money for taxpayers, and to continue to provide public services.

“These cuts have been tremendously challenging, I have never had a challenge like it in my life.

“We have managed to get through it thanks to huge collaboration with the unions and political members of all groups.”

Political leaders in the city have said the financial crisis is the worst the council has faced since the 1930s.

Care homes, sports facilities and other services are to be closed including the Leeds Crisis Centre, which provides counselling and support for adults with mental health issues.

Another 13 council-run buildings involved in adult social care are likely to go during the next year. These are mostly care homes and day centres and also include two centres for those with specialist learning disabilities.

Mr Riordan said they have done their best to prioritise but admitted the severity and frontloading of the cuts has meant the process could not be as considered as they would have liked.

“To have to make such a deep cut in out first year makes it very hard to have a thoughtful transition but you have to play the cards you are dealt.

“We have not simply salami sliced across departments.

“Certain areas such as front-line social care staff have been protected – there were staff who said they were prepared to leave but said we still need you. There have obviously been large cut backs in the back office – we have seen reductions in communications staff, in administration, in human resources and in IT, basically the running of the bureaucracy.

“These areas have taken the biggest hit, including the senior management which has been reduced by 20 per cent.”

The council launched a consultation on services to gauge the public’s priorities. However, there has still been considerable unrest at the plans.

Protests and campaigns were launched after it was announced the The East Leeds leisure centre will be closed and community groups will be offered the chance to take it over.

The opening hours at Garforth leisure centre will be reduced initially before facilities are also offered to community groups.

Bramley Baths opening hours will be reduced and the Middleton leisure centre pool will close later this year.

Mr Riordan, who would not be drawn on his opinions of Government policy, did ruefully point to the difference in cuts between North and South.

“We are a council that charges the lowest council tax of any of the core cities. The cuts here have been one of the largest – particular when compared to some of the shire counties in the south of England. Will it result, long term, in a better council and better services? I have to make sure that is the case, despite the cuts.

“We have got to make sure that Leeds comes out of his stronger and better.

“The performance of my front-line staff has been absolutely brilliant. Too often they are the untold story, every day there is an inspirational story in Leeds about front-line staff going above and beyond what would be expected of them.

“You still have to have positives to aim at – we have ambitious plans to attract investment to Leeds and are working with planning and development to offer Leeds to business.”