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Tens of thousands of council jobs in England could be at risk over the next five years as local authorities struggle with the fall-out from the recession, according to a survey.
The survey by BBC English Regions suggested that almost one in ten of the workforce in some councils could be vulnerable as authorities are forced to cut back.
It found that of the 49 councils which were prepared to answer questions about possible job cuts, they were estimating losses of 25,000 over the next three to five years out of a total combined workforce of 256,000.
Eight authorities - Kirklees, Leeds, City of Bradford, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Surrey - said 1,000 or more posts might have to go within five years.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said that councils had been hit by a "perfect storm" and had little choice but to shed jobs. "Sources of income have dropped sharply at a time when more and more people are turning to councils to help them through tough times," said LGA chairman Dame Margaret Eaton.
"Town halls have been swept by the cold winds of recession for more than a year and that means difficult choices have to be made. Up and down the country many councils feel they have to take the decision to cut jobs in response."
Tony Travers, the director of the Greater London group at the London School of Economics, warned that the scale of the cuts meant that the public would inevitably be affected. "Nothing like this has happened for a generation. To minimise the impacts on the public would require massive efficiencies in all services, higher charges for many, and sharing back-office staff with other public bodies."
However, the Department for Communities and Local Government - which is issuing guidance to councils on how to avoid cuts to frontline services by improving efficiency - said local authorities should not try to blame ministers for their difficulties.
"Any decisions to cut frontline services or announce big job losses this year are very much local decisions. Councils should not try to blame Whitehall," a spokesman said.
The survey found that over 70% of councils were forecasting overall spending cuts of between 5% and 20% over the next three to five years. While the councils in the survey had budgeted for an average 2.5% increase in revenue spending - covering running costs rather than capital projects - in 2010-11, the figure was sharply down on the 5.3% rise in 2008-09.
Reader views (2)
Right man for right job. Dont fill up the numbers rather than good performance.Stop the war to utilise our sources for the benefit of the public and economic growth.
- Chishty, London, 01/03/2010 11:09
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Yes, "more and more people are turning to councils to help them through tough times..." - a good many of whom, especially in places like London, can hardly speak English.
How to save money? The answer's obvious, isn't it!
- Croyboy, Croydon, 01/03/2010 08:40
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