Plans to save Suffolk County Council £11m by restructuring its workforce could result in ‘hundreds of job losses’, Unison has warned.
The council has set out a series of measures aimed at finding nearly £65m in savings over the next two years.
The proposals include reducing staffing costs by £11m by changing the way services are delivered and restructuring across the council, and cutting funding to the art and museum sector by £500,000.
Cllr Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and environment, said the local authority had to make ‘difficult decisions’ in the face of inflation and rising demand for services.
UNISON Suffolk County branch secretary Neil Bland said: ‘Councils have spent the last decade slashing spending to the bone, cuts on this scale will take services in Suffolk past breaking point.
‘It’s still too early to say exactly where the axe will fall, but cuts on this scale will mean hundreds of job losses. This will be a disaster for council workers as well as the people relying on the services they provide.
‘Even if the council manages to avoid or minimise compulsory redundancies, remaining staff will have unmanageable levels of extra work piled on them. Communities across Suffolk are sure to feel the hit.’
‘But cuts are inevitable unless Westminster stops starving local government of desperately needed funds,’ he added.
