A STRING of high profile job losses in York has left councillors worried about difficult problems in the city.

On Wednesday CPP announced 50 jobs were under threat, and that followed news of around 150 jobs soon to go at Nestle, while the barracks closures threaten 1,500 jobs and Minster Law’s move another 300.

Labour’s Cllr Danny Myers said with one announcement after another, the problem is not getting the attention it deserves from top councillors who would rather not talk about worrying job losses that are damaging people’s livelihoods.

His colleague Cllr Stuart Barnes spoke of worrying trends in jobless figures and average wages, and said economic data for York had the city heading in the wrong direction.

He said: “For some time we’ve seen falling wages and a rise in zero hours contracts, now we’re also seeing a rise in the number of people out of work altogether.”

A key economic strategy is being left to gather dust, he warned, and the council leadership needs to concentrate on economic challenges instead of pet projects. Conservative council leader Cllr David Carr, has dismissed the comments, accusing Labour councillors of trying to conflate very different factors behind CPP, Nestle and the barracks.York’s economy is “thriving”, he added. “They criticise our administration’s focus on bringing high-value jobs to the city to balance the traditionally lower paid tourist economy; they completely overlook York’s successful apprentice programmes and school results when they criticise a lack of investment in skills and at the same time pretend that the council can actually ‘create’ jobs. Their economic illiteracy is actually embarrassing.”Cllr Keith Aspden, the Lib Dem deputy leader of the council, acknowledged the CPP news would cause uncertainty for staff, and said the council was working through Make it York to help. He added the council has worked on economic growth - including getting Enterprise Zone status for the York Central.