Stockport Labour Group can reveal that up to 140 jobs will be lost under Liberal Democrat plans to cut the Council Budget in 2016-17. The news will be greeted with dismay locally – since April 2011 the number of staff employed by the Council has dropped by nearly 1,000.
Labour Group Leader Councillor Alex Ganotis said, “There is real concern that these plans may lead to compulsory redundancies, but what is certain is that they will have a massive impact on the quality of service the Council provides to local residents.
“The Council has lost 25% of the overall workforce since 2011, and the most important asset a Local Authority has are our staff. Time after time these cuts prove to be a false economy, pushing expenses onto other parts of the public sector or storing up problems for the future.
“Such severe proposals just wouldn’t have been necessary if the Lib Dems had been more proactive in transforming services during the last 5 years – look at the missed opportunity of failed attempts to allow residents to interact digitally with the Council as an example.”
The job losses are as a result of Liberal Democrat ‘Investing In Stockport’ proposals which are aimed at slashing a further £21.1 million from the Council Budget during the 2016-17 financial year.
Cuts are proposed to Special Educational Needs Transport services currently used by 506 children to get to school, to the Council’s Community Safety and Public Protection Unit, and to local libraries which attracted more than 1 million individual visits last year. The Lib Dems are also planning over 60 jobs losses in family services provided by the Council.
Councillor Ganotis added, “People in Stockport need a different approach to that of the Lib Dems, who haven’t significantly reformed local services since the cuts began in 2010.
“Labour would put local people back at the heart of decision making, making it easier to get in contact with the Council, and would focus on targeted early investment where it is most needed, saving money in the long-term and providing better outcomes for the people of Stockport.”