Women could be hardest hit by proposed council cutbacks, the Audit Commission has warned.
In its Surviving the Crunch report, the commission warned that, on average, 25% of working women were employed in local public services, while in 50 areas, including the northeast, Merseyside and east London, this rises to more than 30%, the Guardian has reported.
Diane Ridley, author of the report and head of research at the commission, said: “We can see families where the man has already lost their job in the private sector recession and then the woman in the family loses their [public sector] job. You have to think about the impact on such areas. What we are asking is for councils to look at all options.”
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Ridley said councils could follow the private sector’s lead, retaining workforces by cutting costs in other areas like reducing overtime, looking at expenses, offering part-time work, and pay freezes and pay cuts.
She added: “Few councils are exploring all these options as a way of minimising the negative impact of their decisions on the local jobs market.”
