Council says job cuts are part of budget proposals

Councillors in Central Bedfordshire have agreed to consult on budget proposals they claim will "significantly reshape the organisation".

The independently run authority said it hopes to reduce running costs by over £13m, which could mean cutting jobs.

Independent Leader Adam Zerny told the BBC it was "premature" to pick exact numbers of staff at risk as "we are still waiting for the government to provide all local authorities with a financial settlement" on 19 December.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Despite the difficult financial inheritance, we have been given we are fixing the foundations of local government, with £1.3bn announced at Budget to help councils deliver essential services."

The unitary council employs over 3,000 staff but has unveiled plans to reduce that number along with non-essential spend. Mr Zerny said any job losses would be handled sensitively.

"We must remember there are employees who have been here for many, many years and work extremely hard. These are real people with lives, families and bills to pay," he said.

He added the authority would look at ways to reduce costs that "make a difference to the bottom line and ensure job losses are as small as they can be".

The BBC reported the council has dealt with an increase in demand for special educational needs provision but Mr Zerny said that would be "the last area" the authority would be looking to make substantial savings in.

Instead it wants to cut opening hours at its four recycling centres from seven to five days a week. He said there were "several locations which are exceptionally quiet during the week" and that the authority wants to copy councils by introducing booking systems for tips.

It will also review care packages for people living at home and raise council tax by 5%, including a 2% precept for social care, and reduce partnership work it does with Bedfordshire Police.

He told the BBC he was "frustrated" the Labour government had put back a "multi-year settlement" for council funding that the previous Conservative administration had promised for this year.

He said the council was trying to set a budget without knowing "to the nearest £5m how much it would get from the government".

A government spokesperson said: "We will rebuild the sector from the ground up and give councils greater stability by moving to multi-year funding statements and ending competitive bidding processes."

The authority's scrutiny committee will examine the proposals on 16 December before a public consultation runs from 7 January until 4 February.

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