A UNION fears up to 1,000 more jobs could be lost at the new Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Ray McHale, of Cheshire Unison, said proposed cuts go beyond savings brought about by reorganising local government.
There were 200 voluntary redundancies during the formation of the new council as part of £30m savings.
But this week it was confirmed the budget is being cut by another £30m in anticipation of a reduction in central government funding.
Mr McHale said: “They won’t give us any actual jobs figures. Occasionally managers bandy around figures of between 400-800, some have said between 500-1,000.”
Mr McHale said there was no mood for strike action. He expects a flood of applications for voluntary redundancy because many fear their jobs will disappear anyway and that redundancy terms will be less generous in future.
Mr McHale questioned how the council would live up to its vision of delivering first rate services.
“All the talk was about improvement to services and being the best in the country. Now it seems to be about how many people can we get rid of,” he said.
Council chief executive Steve Robinson said: “We have already made £30m in savings and need to identify a similar amount –15%of our budget – in response to stringent cuts in spending forecast for next year.”
