Birmingham City Council plans to cut nearly 1,300 jobs in a bid to save £27.7m, it has emerged.
A council spokeswoman could not rule out job cuts in the HR function, but the GMB union has warned the majority of the 1,291 cuts expected will fall on front-line services at community day nurseries and youth services. A further 80 jobs are at risk of redundancy in the council’s sports development department.
Roger Jenkins, GMB Birmingham and West Midlands region officer, said the cuts were “devastating” for the city. “The council’s plans are to make cuts in children’s services which will affect mainly community day nurseries and youth services across the city.
“Many parents around the city now have to work, and rely on these day nurseries to look after their children, so these cuts will not only affect the staff, but also affect these parents that will have to find alternatives if these nursery where to close. It will also have a huge effect on all the vulnerable youth across the city who rely on social care staff, who need proper support.”
The council has now begun its 90-day consultation period with the GMB union on all proposals. The first of the consultation meetings will be on Thursday 4 February.
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A Birmingham City Council spokeswoman told Personnel Todaythe cuts would fall mainly on the Children, Young People and Families Directorate, not on social care. When asked about whether the HR function could expect job cuts, she said: “I wouldn’t know.”
She added: “The City is taking a structured and strategic review through our workforce planning to respond to our current financial pressures. Through this planning framework we’ll review and look to mitigate job losses where we can. We have got a framework to control the financial situation the city council faces.”
