News

Cornwall to cut hundreds of jobs in bid to save £80m and avoid Northants-style disaster

Cornwall Council has proposed to cut a whopping 388 jobs under new budget proposals.

However, the proposed cuts are only the equivalent of 388 full-time jobs. According to a report ahead of the council’s Cabinet meeting today, the amount of jobs to be cut will reduce to 167 after mitigations such as reducing the amount spent on agency staff.

It is not yet clear where in the council’s services the jobs will be cut from, but the report noted that workforce reductions will be delivered in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, the Councils Equality of Opportunity Policy and Organisational Change Toolkits and guidance.

The report also said that, as funding from central government continues to fall and demand for public services increases, the council must find a further £77m of savings over the next four years on top of the £300m of savings it has already delivered.

Cornwall Council has seen significant cuts to its central grant funding since austerity began in 2010, according to the report. There has been a reduction of about 40% from 2009-10 to 2018-19, during which time £300m in savings have been made.

“Whilst the council is in a sound financial position, with a strong track record of delivering its budgets supported by reserves, it cannot continue to deliver the savings required year on year and deliver a balanced budget without impacting upon the delivery of services,” the report warned.

The report even went as far as pointing to recent events in Northamptonshire, Somerset and East Sussex to illustrate the challenges facing local government, particularly for those local authorities responsible for providing social care.

“Cornwall Council does not want to face the position currently faced by these authorities of only providing services at the statutory minimum,” it concluded.

Enjoying PSE? Subscribe here to receive our weekly news updates or click here to receive a copy of the magazine!