Richmond Council plans hundreds of job cuts (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)
Contact us: Got a photo? Text 'SLPICS' to 80360. Got a story? Call the newsdesk: 020 8744 4260
Richmond Council plans hundreds of job cuts
2:22pm Tuesday 9th February 2010 in
Hundreds of council jobs could be lost in the next three years in a bid to cut costs.
It follows an efficiency report by Pricewaterhousecoopers which showed that axing 5 per cent of the workforce could save Richmond Council as much as £10m to £15m.
Between 200 to 300 workers could get the chop under the plans.
Council leader Serge Lourie confirmed a consultation with PWC had highlighted areas where cuts could be made.
He said no "frontline staff" would be affected but would not be drawn on which departments would face cuts.
The plan will be discussed at a co-ordination, finance and performance commission meeting next Wednesday and will go before the cabinet on February 22.
News of the cuts comes as the council prepares to announce its tax for the year ahead in a briefing tomorrow morning.
Councillor Lourie said: "The council continues to have the lowest cost per head of any council in the country but we realise that in the current economic recession we will have to reduce expenditure by up to 15 per cent.
"We will be considering a report at cabinet about the way forward as we believe the council can become more efficient.
"At this stage we estimate that over the next three years it may be necessary to reduce the number of people employed by the council by up to 200 to 300 people overall."
Coun Lourie also said that staff had been involved in the consultation process and that the main aim would be to increase efficiency by reducing the duplication of services.
He added: "At this stage we have no concrete plans but are setting up processes of reviewing the way in which the council does it's business with a view to being more efficient."
Deputy Conservative leader Geoffrey Samuel said that the report showed limited details and was unclear on where the cuts would be made.
He said: "Yes, the consultants can find around £10m to £13m of cuts - but these are merely outline suggestions with no indication of any kind where the axe will fall.
"Hundreds of jobs will be lost - but there is no indication of where or when."
Currently, the council has more than 2,000 staff.
Comments(4)
Phillip Taylor
says...
5:18pm Tue 9 Feb 10
CUTS
So where does this leave the Liberals on cuts now, then? Cllr Samuel rightly points out the need for detail but Cllr Lourie is being his usual coy self here, surely? The real issue now is how many are going and when.
Perhaps 'The Richmond and Twickenham Times' could establish a weekly 'jobs lost' section so we can see where the 'cuts that never were' now fall?
I suppose it is no use to ask that there be a cut in the level of Council Tax as a result? It remains ridiculously and prohibitably high.
Phillip Taylor
Julie Hill
says...
9:55am Wed 10 Feb 10
Get rid of Gillian Norton - all she does is delegate to those lower down the pecking order. That will save Council Tax payers at least £150 on her salary.
Stop wasting money on Arcadia and other Liberal Democrat propoganda (that costs about £70,000)
Stop wasting money on pointless consultations, when the views and needs of the public are then ignored.
Stop wasting money on expensive consultants to devise the pointless consultations.
Stop wasting money on the reams and reams of paper used at Council meetings and for the endless policy documents which are then often ignored (eg planning)
Stop wasting money on installing expensive parking metres and changing perfectly good signs for the sake of it.
The list could go on and on....
gertrude grendal
says...
7:00pm Wed 10 Feb 10
More News stories
- Packed meeting hears proposals for Teddington Memorial Hospital
- Catwalk-strutting mums raise hundreds for cancer research
- Early action being taken to tackle homelessness in Richmond
- Murderer Bellfield denied right to appeal
- Twickenham gets hiring for National Apprentice Week
- Olympianist cycling the country with music
- Princess Alexandra visits Royal Star and Garter
- Railway reprimand for five youngsters
- North Sheen's tree top walkway to go on display
- Appeal after second money box raid
Most popular
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Second Cross says...
4:29pm Tue 9 Feb 10
My suggestion is to close the entire Highways Department. Not only would it save an enormous amount of money, it would also save residents from further persecution from pointless speed-humps, mini-roundabouts and never-ending traffic-calming measures. The pavements and road surfaces in the borough are already in a terrible state so we wouldn't notice any further deterioration.