More than 600,000 council jobs have disappeared across England and Wales since 2012, according to Office for National Statistics figures.
Local authority employment has fallen from 1,886,584 in 2012 to 1,282,853 in 2026 – a drop of over 603,000, more than 30% of the total workforce.
The East Midlands was hit hardest, losing 43% of its council workforce, followed by the South West (38%) and North East (36%). Wales saw the smallest decline, at 15%.
The figures were released as GMB delegates debate local authority cuts at the TUC's annual congress in Brighton this week.
GMB National Officer Will Dalton said losing a third of the workforce had ‘torn the heart out of our communities,’ adding that well-funded councils with well-paid workers must be central to any pledge to spread prosperity nationwide.
