‘Massive impact’

Conservative controlled Derby council’s, plans to cut jobs, will target the most vulnerable residents in the city, Unite has warned.

Unite’s representatives were yesterday informed that the council is planning to cut 32 full-time posts in the council’s adult and children services departments. The council believes the job cuts will achieve savings of £9.5m from a £22.8 million funding gap.

The job losses will affect a plethora of council services, including those dealing with priority and troubled families, adult workforce and learning services, adult care homes and day centres, fostering, learning and skills (which covers the local authority’s role in school improvements), youth offending, children’s residential care and Connections (careers advice).

Unite is concerned that the Conservative led-council, which is propped up by an unseemly alliance of Liberal Democrats, UKIP and independent councillors, is intent on railroading the cuts package through a cabinet meeting next Wednesday (October 24).

Unite believes that as a minimum the council must undertake a proper consultation exercise and engage in detailed discussions with union representatives to identify where other cost savings could be made, which would reduce the impact on the city’s most vulnerable residents.

“If these cuts and job losses are implemented it will have a massive impact on the most vulnerable people in Derby,” said Unite regional officer Katie Morris.

“The council is ignoring the fact that early intervention is the most effective and cost effective way of resolving problems affecting vulnerable people.

“Derby council appears intent on forcing the remaining staff, who are already overstretched, to do more for less. Their workloads and demands on the services they operate will become unmanageable and their health, both physical and mental is likely to be adversely affected,” she added.

“These cuts must not be simply rubber stamped by Derby’s cabinet next week.

“The council needs to engage in open and honest talks where cost savings can be identified, which can avoid cutting the services available to the most vulnerable.”