MORE than 100 members of staff have been made compulsorily redundant at three major councils in York and North and East Yorkshire, The Press can reveal.

The axe has been falling as local authorities try to save millions of pounds, despite efforts to shed posts through redeployment, early retirement and voluntary redundancies.

City of York Council has made 41 compulsory redundancies over the last 12 months, with another 18 voluntary redundancies and 119 members of staff redeployed, said the authority’s Lib Dem leader, Coun Andrew Waller.

The council stressed compulsories were always a last resort after other methods to reduce numbers had been exhausted. Coun Waller said he knew from personal experience in the private sector what redundancy felt like, so it was not something he took lightly.

He said: “We will continue as an authority to take steps to seek voluntary redundancies and redeploy staff.”

Labour group leader James Alexander said following his intervention, a committee was scrutinising all redundancy payments every two weeks and a few weeks ago it began receiving compulsory redundancies, despite the council leader previously stating savings could be made without them.

Green leader Andy D’Agorne said his party had tried to put forward an option to avoid redundancies by voluntary reduced hours and pay, and the compulsories were extremely regrettable.

Tory group leader Ian Gillies said: “It is never good when people lose their jobs.

“Unfortunately, when the bill for interest repayments is £120 million per day due to the previous Labour government, it results in the present situation.”

North Yorkshire County Council said there had been 56 compulsory redundancies over the last 12 months, although ten had involved staff who only worked for a few hours a month, and there had been another 14 voluntaries.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it had made 25 members of staff compulsorily redundant, with another nine going voluntarily.

York Press: The Press - Comment

Future still a worry on cuts

IN many areas of the country, there have been massive cuts in public services and in the work of voluntary groups that rely on public funding.

The good news is that, so far at least, York has been protected from the worst of these.

Yes, the city council has had to trim £21 million off its budget, and 170 council jobs will go as a result. The cuts will affect everything from libraries to elderly people’s homes, music teaching, and youth services.

But because York is comparatively wealthy, it is less reliant on central Government funding than some other, poorer cities. And for that reason, public spending cuts affect it less.

When it comes to voluntary sector funding, York has also escaped comparatively lightly. The local primary care trust has trimmed its funding of most voluntary organisations – which provide vital services for thousands of vulnerable people – by four per cent, while the council has cut some adult social care grants by three per cent. “But when you compare this to Liverpool’s 48 per cent cuts to voluntary sector grants you see we’re in a very different position,” said Angela Harrison of the York Council of Voluntary Service (CVS).

Even so, there will be real belt-tightening across the public and voluntary sectors in York this year. This will affect support for the most vulnerable people in the city, at precisely the time – in the wake of a devastating recession – they need it most. As George Vickers, chief executive of York CAB says, his organisation should be increasing the service it offers to desperate people, not cutting back.

Even more worrying is the future. Voluntary groups are managing to hold on this year. But who knows what next year will bring?

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