Plymouth City Council to axe 100 jobs
THE council is to cut 100 jobs as part of a bid to plug a £3.2million hole in its budget.
The 3,200 town hall staff are being offered the chance to take voluntary redundancy.
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Plymouth City Council to axe 100 jobs
But if there are not enough volunteers by Christmas "then reluctantly we'll have to go on to make compulsory redundancies", Cllr Mark Lowry, the city's Cabinet member for finance, said yesterday.
And in the new year Cllr Lowry will launch a senior management restructuring aimed at cutting another £1million from the council's wage bill.
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The £3.2million shortfall is on top of £30million the council has to cut from its budget over three years.
"The scale of the cuts we are facing means it is not possible to rule out compulsory redundancies or having to take very tough decisions about the future of our services," Mr Lowry added.
"The public will inevitably see a deterioration in the services they receive. You can't cut by 40per cent and expect exactly the same level of services."
The job losses will come on top of a five per cent cut over the past 12 months, which saw the workforce cut by 195.
The previous year 240 people left.
The council now employs just over 3,200, not including school staff.
The redundancy packages on the table are the legal minimum, based on length of service, salary and age. The maximum pay-off is capped at £12,900. The council is in consultation with unions.
"We are also in the process of reducing senior management to save nearly £1million a year," Cllr Lowry said.
A management reduction exercise will start in the new year.
Cllr Lowry warned that a reduction in the level of service from the council was inevitable.
"I am getting it down now because otherwise all you are doing is putting off the problem.
"This needs to be done to secure the future of the council and the city."
He said that 60 per cent of the council's spending went in wages.
"You can't cut the budget by 40per cent and expect not to have to make people redundant.
"Now I have had the opportunity to understand the budget and the scale of the cuts I want to tell people the truth."
Cllr Lowry said: "The Government's cuts to local government are beginning to bite more deeply.
"We are having to take immediate action to deal with the impact, at the same time as we are dealing with a big rise in demand for services from some of the city's most vulnerable residents.
"Every department will need to look at service levels and tighten its belt," he said.
Cllr Lowry refused to be drawn on whether council tax would go up next year.
Cllr Ian Bowyer, the Conservative finance spokesman, said: "I am disappointed that it's necessary to shed more jobs.
"I thought we already had a robust plan in place to reduce about 500 jobs.
"But there are some hard, unpalatable truths the council has to face up to.
"Labour has had a honeymoon period since May but it can't last forever."
Comments
by weareone
Thursday, November 15 2012, 4:26PM
“I have lived in Plymouth most of my life and just returned after working away for the past couple of years (though still within the UK - which maybe inself make an interesting comparison) and am thoroughly disheartened to see the current state of this city.
So much unrealised potential.
As seems to be the want of this forum, I could easily use the very generous 4000 words to "rant" about the current state of the this city and the UK in general - as there is a common theme throughout, however at this time, I would ask only the following:-
* What percentage of the elected council are either:-
A. Working, or have worked, within the Public Sector.
B. Working, or have worked, within the Private Sector.
In the remote chance that there is a response from our elected "Peers" to the above, there will be another question thereafter.
Stay with me with this, as there is a very good reason for the above question, though I doubt there will be much in the way of informative response from the relevant persons.
All the Best.”
by Winstonsmith0
Thursday, November 15 2012, 10:49AM
“I volunteer.
Give me 3 months with full access to all departments and, if I have not found savings equalling at least two 4th tier managers then get rid of me.
My fee?
Nothing - I will willingly do it for nothing just to show these 'managers' how they do not need consultants and contractors when they already have loyal and dedicated employees at the workface.
Most people who have worked for councils for more than 12 months will be able to tell you that the inefficiencies are mainly at the top and so much time is spent either getting 'mates' into high office or doing deals with no knowledge or experience of what is good value. Inefficiency, ineptitude and incompetence appear to be primary qualifictions upstairs.
The secret to save money is simple - if you wish to know what areas to cut, just communicate with the ground floor staff - those right at the workface; the ones who get their hands dirty every day and know their jobs inside out. These people will know better than anyone but, I suspect, it is the ground floor staff who will be cut back more than anyone too because those higher up also spend a lot of time making sure their jobs are safe.
As for the planning department, shut it down and replace it with a single page on the PCC website with a 'YES/NO' button so that local people can actually have a say.
Plymouth, space of waste.”
by Foldart
Thursday, November 15 2012, 9:30AM
“The more cuts in jobs, the more need of contractors. The more contractors, the more profits we are paying out to them. It seems the council can't handle manpower or organise work so they are abdicating their responsibility for the work to outsiders at great expense.
The whole council operating system needs an independent review to determine their competence.”
by DJANGO6421
Thursday, November 15 2012, 7:54AM
“If the councilors were actually accountable they would think twice before expending our money on useless projects, and paying exhorbitant expenses to each other!!!!!!!”
by Waltersmith
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 10:57PM
“ind = unearth”
by Waltersmith
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 10:57PM
“The Herald appears able to unearth stuff about Tam but not about the council. If it dug deeper it would ind a treasure trove”
by Waltersmith
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 10:55PM
“@iweston
Yes, I believe that is true.”
by lweston
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 10:03PM
“There does seem to be the need for an Indpendant and Official enquiry and accountability into practices adopted and blantant miss use of Council Tax Money”
by showboater
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 9:56PM
“how does Cllr Lowry feel losing his job?
"He is not" you may reply?
Did'nt think so too to be honest, just being sarcastic.
PCC are always resructuring but very,very rarely do the top managers lose their jobs, and this will probably be the same case this time too. They are the ones aware of the cuts and finance so they should know better. If not, then they should go as they are not up to the job in question.
Lowry states that the customer service to the paying pcc tax public will be worst. So increasing council tax will not improve things too. So why increase the tax next year? To cover the cutbacks?
How about not having a pay increase(S) and cut back on expenses?
What rise in pcc tax you may add? Wait and see!
Labour have never been in their honeymoon period. From day 1, the PM stated there will be cut backs and we/public will not like it as the previous goverment got us into this mess with debt etc.
So once again PCC, the so called top dogs were aware of this years ago!!
Its a shambles from the top!”
by trollolol
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 9:33PM
“@Meldrew - I think planning was the only team that didn't create new posts, their restructure actually made sense to me.
@Doctor T - Thanks”