More than 200 jobs at risk as council seeks to make £29m worth of initial savings
Job losses are on the horizon as Wakefield Council sets out financial plans which it says will protect frontline services.
Its initial proposals outline savings to help meet a £35.8m budget shortfall in 2025-26. The plans involve potential staffing reductions of up to 236 full-time posts.
The council says it wants to manage this through cutting vacant posts or through inviting interest in flexible retirement, voluntary redundancy, or a permanent reduction in working hours.
Wakefield Council says it is expecting to begin consultations with trade unions “with the aim of avoiding compulsory redundancies this financial year.”
Councillor Denise Jeffery, leader of the council, said: “We’re strongly focusing on delivering a budget which protects our frontline services as much as we can and provides the best value for money for local taxpayers.
“We’re taking the difficult but responsible decisions we need for the district to have a positive future.
“We’ve got a new Government, with a new approach. But 14 years of chronic underfunding of our local services can’t be undone overnight.
“Like most councils our financial position remains a difficult one. But by taking responsible decisions now we’ll set our area up for long-term success.”
The initial plans for 2025-26 aim to save £29m from a mix of efficiencies, generating more income, and making changes to services. A further £16.4m of savings are outlined for 2026-27 and 2027-28.
Included in the 2025-26 proposals are:
- Saving £2.5m by improving how the council manages commissioning and contracting arrangements
- Rationalising organisational and business support processes by £3m
- Varying the opening times of some libraries, museums and castles
- Reviewing the frequency of garden waste collections. Offering a monthly collection as a minimum.
- Saving over £1m by reducing reliance on hotels for homelessness provision
- Generating savings of £3.9m by changing the way some adult social care services work
- Reducing spend on costly external placements in children’s social care, saving £1.4m by having more in-house provision
- Saving £2m through a review of the council’s property and facilities management arrangements
- Raising £1.87m by increasing some fees and charges
- Saving £3.7m through technology and digital transformation
If approved by Cabinet on 10 December, the plans will form part of the council’s budget consultation in January 2025.
Cllr Jack Hemingway, deputy leader of Wakefield Council, added: “Throughout the last 14 years our ambition for our district and our communities has been consistent.
“Having a new Government that understands the importance of our local services, and which we can have a genuine partnership with, makes a big difference.
“But they don’t have a magic wand. We need to continue to deliver for every person in our area and to take every opportunity we can to invest in your priorities whilst they fix the foundations of our country.”
Initial budget savings proposals will be considered at the council’s next Cabinet meeting on 10 December.
The full set of budget proposals will go before Cabinet in January after receipt of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, expected in December.
Consultation on the budget proposals will then take place early in 2025. The final 2025/26 budget will be reported to Cabinet in February ahead of Budget Council on 3 March 2025.
More articles in
Sectors
