Redundancies loom as council faces more cuts 16/7/11
Job losses and service
cuts are on the cards as Western Isles Council struggles to tackle a £20 million
financial blackhole over the coming years.
A number of teachers are taking voluntary retirement and other council staff have applied for redundancy.
The council proposes cutting the number of bosses and restructuring departments. Some staff on temporary and fixed term contracts may risk losing their jobs under a review while others will be “actively encouraged” to work less hours.
At a special budget seminar in Stornoway yesterday councillors were warned the cutbacks
could hit vital campaigns -
Finance chief Robert Emmott highlighted the authority faces an estimated £6 million funding gap for 2012 though the actual figure will not be known until September.
Mr Emmott warned that impending welfare reforms from government could lose the council £200,000 as it would slash housing benefit payments to households by 10% leaving the council with great difficulties in collecting the outstanding amounts.
A raft of cash saving measures are being mooted. Setting up arms-
Voluntary and community groups may be approached to take over some bus, waste and home help services.
Staff will be offered counselling and support if they risk losing their jobs or reduced
salaries. They will have access to confidential support from the Occupational Health
Team or a mediator co-
Employees may be asked to take up to 12 days of unpaid leave every year while compulsory redundancies are not ruled out.
They may face wage cuts if the work week is cut by two hours. In addition, they will be consulted on cuts to bank holidays, night working, long service annual leave and daily subsistence rates. Some £200,000 could be saved by cutting overtime.
Cllr Norman Macdonald urged officers to give better information on cutback savings. He believed that a past decision to switch off street lights was hampered by a fixed price contract which meant the council paid the same bill regards of amount of electricity used.
Even when the charging system will change, there was no point in installing time clocks to lamposts if they cost more than the energy saved, he stressed.
The council will hold a series of public meetings to explain the financial pressures they are under and to seek feedback from islanders.