Bristol City Council is expected to cut a sixth of its full time workforce, losing up to 1,000 jobs…
A sixth of the full time workforce at Bristol City Council is set to be cut, it has emerged. The local authority said the cuts were needed as it has to find £29m savings from its budget this year.
City Mayor Marvin Rees said the only option was to cut jobs after he “inherited a huge financial challenge”.
Currently, some 6,600 people are employed by the council. Workers are being asked if they want to take a voluntary severance package.
Rees said: “I have inherited a huge financial challenge which is proving bigger than we knew even a month or two ago.
“We continue to make savings in many ways, but we cannot close the gap without reducing the number of jobs at the council.
“This scheme is about giving people the option to leave voluntarily, which is the right thing to do. We will support staff as best we can throughout this difficult time.”
Rees said he would work to ensure the council maintains “life-and-limb services” with “the resources I’ve got”.
Councillor Craig Cheney, cabinet member for finance and governance said: “[This] marks the first really tough choice which has to be made given the financial position we inherited following years of burdens being placed on local government by the austerity measures of central government.
“Sadly there will be more tough choices ahead and we will continue to involve the city in meaningful discussion about how we face these challenges.”
Voluntary redundancies will finish working by the end of September. The council’s budget plans for April 2017 to April 2020 will be published in the autumn, with a consultation to take place before its put to the Full Council in February 2017.
