City council makes 32 redundant

Jun 20 2008 by David Norbury, Chester Chronicle

THIRTY-TWO staff, made redundant by the city council, have cleared their desks and left.

The job losses are part of a drive by the council to secure budget cuts.

Officers were offered enhanced terms as part of a time-limited package in February, with the intention they would go by the end of last month.

The city council made it clear that priority would be given to staff in services which were under review and there was a possibility that not everyone who applied would be released, not least because of the cost. Almost 80 said they would be interested.

Each application was assessed and 32 people, equivalent to 27 full-time staff, were advised they would be allowed to go.

Nine were in the council’s customer services, three in culture and community, three in environment services, seven in development, seven in people, performance and improvement and three in resources.

The biggest single cuts are in corporate administration and business support, where the equivalent of five full-time posts have been made redundant.

More than 3.5 equivalent full-time posts have been cut in E-government.

Losses in development cover posts in development co-ordination, the Northgate Development team, local distinctiveness and place marketing and regeneration.

Other services in which reductions have taken place include corporate fraud and debt, children and young people, the Grosvenor Museum, environmental health and construction.

The city’s Tory Executive was told that the cost of the redundancies is £1,106,000.

This is balanced by annual savings of £944,000 meaning the redundancies will pay for themselves in just over a year.

The council insists the posts can be released without affecting services. No further reductions are in prospect.

Lib Dems believe that if the council is not allowed by the Government to deal with the cost of the redundancies through a financial procedure known as capitalisation, which was used in 2007/08, the Town Hall’s dwindling coffers, estimated at just over £1m by the end of next March, will become exhausted when other expenditure is taken into account.

Are you one of the 32 people made redundant? Get in touch with our newsroom on 01244 606416.