100 jobs to go at transport authority

REGIONAL Transport authority Centro is to cut almost 100 jobs in an attempt to slash costs.

A quarter of staff will lose their jobs in a bid to meet a £7m budget cut target.

Councillors voted in favour of the 89 job cuts at a special meeting this week.

Centro chairman, Councillor John McNicholas, said: “Balancing the budget has proved extremely difficult but our priority throughout has been to protect passengers as far as possible.”

In February transport chiefs have voted to keep half-price bus fares for children and free tram and train travel for eligible people despite the impending Budget cut.

Councillors serving on Centro, the region’s transport authority, also decided to safeguard free bus travel after 11pm for older people, the blind and disabled.

Cllr McNicholas said at the time: “What the public consultation clearly showed was that the services provided by Centro are highly valued by many people.

“The responses we received have played a key role in helping Centro members decide how and where to make the necessary savings.”

Deciding to safeguard services made job cuts virtually inevitable.