Leeds City Council’s proposals to axe hundreds of jobs to help reduce the local authority’s deficit are ‘extremely worrying’, a union has said.
The council is facing a funding gap of £168.2m up to the end of March 2027, with £59.2m relating to the next financial year.
It is considering a range of measures to address the gap including reducing its workforce by up to 750 full-time equivalent posts by the end of the 2024/25 financial year.
Unison Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Brendan Cafferty described the possible job cuts as ‘a huge concern’.
‘These financial troubles faced by Leeds will continue for years to come because of reduced funding from central government, and a lack of information about future funding,’ he said.
‘Cutting jobs will mean services deteriorate and people in Leeds reliant on those services will suffer. They deserve better.’
Speaking to the BBC, Leeds council leader James Lewis said a ‘fully costed plan’ of the measures would be outlined in December.
‘It is very difficult to give reassurances at this point given the scale of the challenge that we face, but we will do everything to protect the most vulnerable and try and keep the city clean and safe.’
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