Axe to fall on another 200 council jobs in Southampton (From Daily Echo)
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More posts go and elderly face 'isolation' in £14m savings drive
10:17am Tuesday 31st January 2012 in News
Axe to fall on another 200 council jobs in Southampton
TWO hundred council jobs will be axed and the elderly in Southampton face cuts under Tory budget plans to save £14m.
Cash-strapped council leaders, who have a total revenue budget of £184m, are battling a £54m budget black hole over the next three years after swingeing Government fund¬ing cuts.
Tory councillors insist no frontline services will be cut and that most of the savings over the next year will come from “efficiencies”, including renegotiation of contracts, sharing services and chief officers with other councils.
And by slashing a bill for staff redundancy packages, running at nearly £5m last year, that are now deemed too generous.
Yet street cleaning and park-keeping posts will be axed, funding will be withdrawn from the much-loved Hawthorns wildlife centre on the Common, and there will also be job losses in pest control, cemeteries, planning, legal services, and corporate communications.
Labour leader Richard Williams criticised the plans for being a “budget for the election” which failed to address funding issues and vowed that if his party won power in May's elections it would bring in a “mini budget” to reduce Tory cuts to jobs and services.
The latest jobs losses come as staff are still in industrial dispute over pay cuts of between two and 5.5 per cent imposed last summer on those earning over £17,500. Further strike action is planned.
Tories say the pay cuts have protected 400 jobs and that half the 203 posts now being axed are vacant.
They come on top of more than 200 jobs cuts last year. The council now employs around 3,800 non-school staff.
In the report, the council's equality officers, who review the budget to assess its impact, have warned the pro¬posals risk plunging the elderly into “social isolation” as the cost of residential and day care is pushed up for those with disposable income and eligibility for day care is re-assessed.
It comes on top of a national reduction in winter fuel payments.
But adult care boss Councillor Ivan White said the reassessments, based on national criteria, were fair and insisted: “People who need care will receive the same amount of care”.
He said the council would monitor the risks of isolation and said he hoped family, friends and charities would be able to take on greater roles.
He added pensioners will continue to receive a ten per cent council tax discount and meals on wheels charges will be frozen.
Council tax, excluding fire and police levies, will be frozen at £1,239 for typical Band D home for a second year and council leader Royston Smith pledged all libraries, Sure Start children's centres and leisure centres in Southampton will be kept open.
Weekly bin collections will also be protected and ten minutes' free on-street parking will be brought in alongside an extra free hour of parking on Sundays to 1pm.
Cuts to “generous” redundancy payments will save at least £1m by capping them.
Currently redundancy payments are calculated by taking the employee's weekly salary and multiplying that by how many years they have worked for the council. Now that weekly salary will be capped at £1,000.
Instead of doubling the total for voluntary redundancies, 25 per cent will be added as an incentive and the 50 per cent addition to compulsory redundancies will be scrapped.
Tories rejected more costly union alternatives as “unworkable”.
Half a million pounds will be set aside for extra payments to frontline social work¬ers to prevent them quitting for better paid jobs elsewhere, pending a pay review.
Labour leader Councillor Williams said: “I am just not sure how credible this budget is because, for example, how can you keep funding for adult services the same over the next three years when the demand is continually increasing?
"Whoever is in power after May will be bringing out some sort of mini budget because there are so many unanswered questions and we would look to make some significant changes which would include reducing cuts to jobs and services.”
Cllr Smith challenged Labour to “come clean” over its spending plans and said deeper job losses were the only alternative to the proposed savings.
Conservatives will confirm their proposals at a Cabinet meeting on February 6 before it goes before full council on February 15.
Unison branch secretary Mike Tucker said a lobby of the budget meeting was being planned in protest at the pay cuts and proposed cuts to the council's redundancy scheme. Labour has pledged to restore them.
Comments(6)
Taskforce 141
says...
12:46pm Tue 31 Jan 12
Perhaps if the Torie leadership thought about redundancies before trying to get staff to perform a mass exodus then they wouldn't have wasted so much money! Thanks to their 'genius' plan to get rid of staff they asked for voluntary redundancies first at 'double bubble', non surprising directors and high managers with massive wages and pension were the first to volunteer (and who can blame them). The people that are left are there because they still need a job, but now if the are unfortunate enough to be made redundant they will get next to nothing for redundancy whilst others have run of with £100,000s.
Honestly these Tories wouldn't be able to organise an **** at a brothel!
George4th
says...
1:11pm Tue 31 Jan 12
Taskforce 141 wrote:Had we not had the last Labour government, we wouldn't have a problem! The Labour government screwed up BIG TIME. How could a Labour government manage to widen the gap between those who have and those who have not? How could a Labour government throw away the best Economic situation any government ever had? The list of their incompetence is never ending!
Jesus Christ, is there going to be any public services left?
Perhaps if the Torie leadership thought about redundancies before trying to get staff to perform a mass exodus then they wouldn't have wasted so much money! Thanks to their 'genius' plan to get rid of staff they asked for voluntary redundancies first at 'double bubble', non surprising directors and high managers with massive wages and pension were the first to volunteer (and who can blame them). The people that are left are there because they still need a job, but now if the are unfortunate enough to be made redundant they will get next to nothing for redundancy whilst others have run of with £100,000s.
Honestly these Tories wouldn't be able to organise an **** at a brothel!
Taskforce 141
says...
1:16pm Tue 31 Jan 12
George4th wrote:Er, have a look at the entire globe (except China) everywhere is struggling, but these Torie morons don't seem to have a clue. Labour may have contributed to financial crisis, but its the Tories who are making things worse.
Taskforce 141 wrote:Had we not had the last Labour government, we wouldn't have a problem! The Labour government screwed up BIG TIME. How could a Labour government manage to widen the gap between those who have and those who have not? How could a Labour government throw away the best Economic situation any government ever had? The list of their incompetence is never ending!
Jesus Christ, is there going to be any public services left?
Perhaps if the Torie leadership thought about redundancies before trying to get staff to perform a mass exodus then they wouldn't have wasted so much money! Thanks to their 'genius' plan to get rid of staff they asked for voluntary redundancies first at 'double bubble', non surprising directors and high managers with massive wages and pension were the first to volunteer (and who can blame them). The people that are left are there because they still need a job, but now if the are unfortunate enough to be made redundant they will get next to nothing for redundancy whilst others have run of with £100,000s.
Honestly these Tories wouldn't be able to organise an **** at a brothel!
Both factions are as bad as one another when it comes to key decisions and running a country, I just hope at some point some sets some dynamite off between the ears of the politicians so that they might actually see a little more clearly.
George4th
says...
1:35pm Tue 31 Jan 12
Taskforce 141 wrote:How can you make worse inheriting a debt of £1000 Billion pounds and rising?!!!!
George4th wrote:Er, have a look at the entire globe (except China) everywhere is struggling, but these Torie morons don't seem to have a clue. Labour may have contributed to financial crisis, but its the Tories who are making things worse.
Taskforce 141 wrote:Had we not had the last Labour government, we wouldn't have a problem! The Labour government screwed up BIG TIME. How could a Labour government manage to widen the gap between those who have and those who have not? How could a Labour government throw away the best Economic situation any government ever had? The list of their incompetence is never ending!
Jesus Christ, is there going to be any public services left?
Perhaps if the Torie leadership thought about redundancies before trying to get staff to perform a mass exodus then they wouldn't have wasted so much money! Thanks to their 'genius' plan to get rid of staff they asked for voluntary redundancies first at 'double bubble', non surprising directors and high managers with massive wages and pension were the first to volunteer (and who can blame them). The people that are left are there because they still need a job, but now if the are unfortunate enough to be made redundant they will get next to nothing for redundancy whilst others have run of with £100,000s.
Honestly these Tories wouldn't be able to organise an **** at a brothel!
Both factions are as bad as one another when it comes to key decisions and running a country, I just hope at some point some sets some dynamite off between the ears of the politicians so that they might actually see a little more clearly.
>
There are people in this country who still don't realise we are in deep doo da!!!
>
The coalition is doing a very good job under extremely difficult circumstances. This country has been living way beyond its means for the past 15 years! We had a Labour fuelled consumer Bubble and a Labour fuelled Property Bubble - both Burst!!!! Unfortunately, Labour forgot to invest in the future! (Hey, and don't forget they started out by selling our GOLD on the cheap!!)
Taskforce 141
says...
2:14pm Tue 31 Jan 12
George4th wrote:erm, inheriting £10000 billion in debt...
Taskforce 141 wrote:How can you make worse inheriting a debt of £1000 Billion pounds and rising?!!!!
George4th wrote:Er, have a look at the entire globe (except China) everywhere is struggling, but these Torie morons don't seem to have a clue. Labour may have contributed to financial crisis, but its the Tories who are making things worse.
Taskforce 141 wrote:Had we not had the last Labour government, we wouldn't have a problem! The Labour government screwed up BIG TIME. How could a Labour government manage to widen the gap between those who have and those who have not? How could a Labour government throw away the best Economic situation any government ever had? The list of their incompetence is never ending!
Jesus Christ, is there going to be any public services left?
Perhaps if the Torie leadership thought about redundancies before trying to get staff to perform a mass exodus then they wouldn't have wasted so much money! Thanks to their 'genius' plan to get rid of staff they asked for voluntary redundancies first at 'double bubble', non surprising directors and high managers with massive wages and pension were the first to volunteer (and who can blame them). The people that are left are there because they still need a job, but now if the are unfortunate enough to be made redundant they will get next to nothing for redundancy whilst others have run of with £100,000s.
Honestly these Tories wouldn't be able to organise an **** at a brothel!
Both factions are as bad as one another when it comes to key decisions and running a country, I just hope at some point some sets some dynamite off between the ears of the politicians so that they might actually see a little more clearly.
>
There are people in this country who still don't realise we are in deep doo da!!!
>
The coalition is doing a very good job under extremely difficult circumstances. This country has been living way beyond its means for the past 15 years! We had a Labour fuelled consumer Bubble and a Labour fuelled Property Bubble - both Burst!!!! Unfortunately, Labour forgot to invest in the future! (Hey, and don't forget they started out by selling our GOLD on the cheap!!)
Or inheriting £1000 billion debt and then creating a poverty stricken country, by cutting jobs, employment and growth, which is exactly what the tories are doing.
Perhaps if you were to spend more time actually understanding the impact of the decisions by these politicians who are sooo in touch with modern society, then you could see that they are kicking us when we are down, instead you seem to be deflecting any comment back onto labour, which is a cowards move. I do not support labour so how about forming and answer which doesn't merely deflect but addresses the problems at hand.
southy says...
12:08pm Tue 31 Jan 12
Its time Tucker sat down and have a real long think who is backing there corner. Unison rank and file come and join the TUSC.