16.09.14
Birmingham City Council to cut 6,000 more jobs by 2018
A further 6,000 workers at Birmingham City Council could lose their jobs due to the severity of public service cuts, council leader Sir Albert Bore has revealed.
Since 2010, the local authority’s workforce has declined from 20,000 to 13,000 but by 2018 Sir Albert believes this number will have to fall even further, to approximately 7,000.
He added that the council’s core workforce could be even smaller than that, because some of the 7,000 will be employed by arm’s-length organisations.
In a statement to the full council today, Sir Albert said: “Over many years we have not given enough attention to how we manage staff reductions and plan the workforce we will need in the future.
“If we don’t act now then the consequences will be catastrophic for the future functioning of this organisation.”
The Labour politician added that he wants the council and the people of Birmingham to reflect on the stark fact that by 2018 the council will be operating with a workforce less than one-third the size of that in 2010.
He stated that the process of engaging with staff to meet the challenges faced by these reductions has already begun, with both him and the deputy leader having held ‘Listening Leadership’ meetings with staff groups. “But we must resolve difficult issues to do with how we carry out the further reductions in staff numbers that will be needed and how we will ensure that we have the right people in the right place doing the right things,” said Sir Albert. “And we must put in place the right support to enable staff to get through these changes and to develop the new skills they will need, whether they stay with us or start new careers elsewhere.”
He noted that officers have now been asked to prepare a full human resources strategy to address these issues, and to ensure that for the first time the city council has a proper plan of action for “one of our most important assets: our people”.
(Image: c. BirminghamCC News Room)
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