Birmingham City Council warns 6,000 more staff could go

BIRMINGHAM City Council has said that Government cuts make it likely that another 6,000 jobs will be lost at the authority over the next four years.

Council leader Sir Albert Bore said he wanted “the people of Birmingham to be in no doubt and under no illusion about the grave challenges ahead” and talked of  “the ticking time bomb on human resources”.

With 7,000 staff already gone since 2010, Bore said it had already lost the equivalent number of people axed when Rover collapsed in 2005 and was now set to double that number.

“The cuts will mean a continuing reduction in employee numbers.  Already our workforce has declined from just over 20,000 full time equivalents to around 13,000,” he said.

“By 2018 we estimate that numbers will have to fall to around 7,000.  Our core workforce could be even smaller than that, because some of that 7,000 will be employed by arms-length organisations.

“This means we will be operating with a workforce less than one third the size of that in 2010 and one half of what it is today – the equivalent of taking out twice the workforce that lost their jobs at Longbridge in 2005.”

He said talks with the Department for Communities and Local Government had failed to secure a better deal for the city and that expected cuts of £150m next year were now likely to be nearer £200m.

With only 8% of the council’s income from council tax, and 25% from paid services, the city council is heavily reliant on Government grants for two thirds of its annual budget.

Bore said the council has a huge task to reshape services and said it needs staff not only to stretch their professional expertise, but to develop a broader range of skills.