We cannot escape the fact that some losses will be dedicated professional posts
Baroness Margaret Eaton, LGA
New analysis by the Local Government Group – a group representing councils of which the LGA is a member – has revealed that the scale of job losses is likely to be 40 per cent higher than was originally thought following last month's Comprehensive Spending Review.
The Local Government Association (LGA) originally predicted 100,000 posts would go after Chancellor George Osborne set out the broad framework for public spending in the June budget.
But, it said the government's decision to 'front load' a large proportion of the cuts into the first year – rather than allow councils to spread them evenly over the four years of the spending review – was likely to lead to around 140,000 posts being cut.
The unexpected severity of the first year cuts means councils will have to trim their budgets by an average of 11%in 2011/12.
The government has set up a £200 million capitalisation fund to help councils with the cost of cutting jobs, which the LGA said was helpful, but it is calling on the government to go further to ease the effect of these reductions in next month's local government finance settlement so councils can spread the cuts more evenly over the next four years.
The government also needs to clarify the level of new central government grants that will replace existing specific grants. A number of these grants were not finalised in last month's CSR announcements.
Baroness Margaret Eaton, LGA chair, said: “No council cuts jobs lightly, but many are being left with no choice. Some jobs will go in natural wastage, not filling vacancies and voluntary redundancy, however, we cannot escape the fact that some losses will be dedicated professional posts that, given a choice, councils would not want to see go. These are the tough choices we are going to have to make.
“Local government will have to make cuts next year of around £2 billion more than we anticipated just a month ago. This stifles the opportunities for innovation and means town halls will be forced to cut further and deeper next year than they first thought.
“In order to protect frontline services, the government must ensure that councils have the flexibility needed to manage changes to grant funding that are heavily loaded at the beginning of the four year settlement period. Grants that have yet to be finalised must be set at levels that help councils, rather than making a difficult situation even worse. “
Waste
Clive Harris, waste policy advisor for the LGA, told letsrecycle.com that the cuts would inevitably include jobs in waste and recycling.
He said: “Waste and recycling is an important frontline service but councils are under pressure across the board. Decisions will have to be taken locally on where to make cuts.”
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