3,000 jobs to be cut by glasgow city council

[Pickman's model]

Glasgow City Council has unveiled a new 'transformation programme' that includes the loss of 3,000 jobs and £103m savings over the next two years.

It says the plan will allow it to 'continue to meet its goal of being a world class city that is focused on economic growth and tackling poverty and inequality, as it prepares for the unprecedented financial challenge of the next two years.'


The programme will include a review of the council's service departments and arm's-length external organisations to remove duplication and provide more customer-focused services.


It will also work in greater collaboration with partners to deliver 'better and more efficient outcomes for our citizens'.


The council says it remains committed to a policy of no compulsory redundancies and expects savings to come through not replacing staff.

http://www.localgov.co.uk/3000-jobs-to-be-cut-at-Glasgow-City-Council/38894

and so it begins

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Blimey

 

[Roadkill]

and so it begins

Tbf it began back in 2010, when Cameron and Osborne performed the volte face they've never really been pulled up on, stopped pledging to match Labour's spending plans and praising the dedication and hard work of public sector workers, and instead announced that public spending was the root of all evil, 'crowding out' the private sector and - bizarrely - had caused the financial crisis. I've no idea how many local authority workers have lost their jobs nationally since then, but I do know that Hull City Council - not one of the largest in the country by any means - alone has lost more than 1,500 staff.

It's about to get a whole lot worse though, and the cities will be hit hardest of all simply because they don't vote Tory. Never mind that Glasgow, Birmingham or Manchester contribute infinitely more to the economy than no-mark Tory-voting commuter towns: the national interest has fuck all to do with it. It's naked, cynical party politics, and it's one reason why the Conservative party isn't fit to run so much as a whelk stall.

 

[Pickman's model]

Tbf it began back in 2010, when Cameron and Osborne performed the volte face they've never really been pulled up on, stopped pledging to match Labour's spending plans and praising the dedication and hard work of public sector workers, and instead announced that public spending was the root of all evil, 'crowding out' the private sector and - bizarrely - had caused the financial crisis. I've no idea how many local authority workers have lost their jobs nationally since then, but I do know that Hull City Council - not one of the largest in the country by any means - alone has lost more than 1,500 staff.

It's about to get a whole lot worse though.

i'm in that number

 

[Roadkill]

i'm in that number

Unlucky.

With apologies for using an example from my neck of the woods in the Scotland form, this is the city council leader's budget statement for last year. Note the figures on page 1: Hull City Council funding reduced by £278.94 per head between 2010 and 2016: Epsom and Ewell increased by £13.47. And other places - Liverpool and Birmingham especially - have it worse still.

It's a sign of how supine and useless the media are that I have never seen a Minister cornered on this issue at interview and forced to attempt to justify it.

 

[DotCommunist]

sacking off loads of workers is surely going to look bad for them when the dole queue is stretching out the door and round the block

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

Scottish councils haven't even been able to use their own local tax-varying powers for the last eight years. It's only a fraction of their budget, but it's the only tool they have.

 

[equationgirl]

Plus iirc Glasgow has one of the collection rates in the country.

 

[Quartz]

Scottish councils haven't even been able to use their own local tax-varying powers for the last eight years.

Why not? Aberdeen are going to have to save £50M.

 

[pogofish]

Why not? Aberdeen are going to have to save £50M.

But that's in no small part due to their own very special brand of fuckups - and no particular council is to blame. This situation has been in the making across every administration since the demise of the old GRC.

 

[Quartz]

But that's in no small part due to their own very special brand of fuckups

No argument there.