Council to axe 39 jobs... but appoint new assistant directors

Rochdale Borough Council to axe 39 jobs

Council employees in "crucial" full time positions are facing the axe at Rochdale Borough Council but Rochdale Online News can reveal that as those jobs are lost, five newly-created assistant directors will be appointed.

A leaked document also shows that a variety of community-based staff, including Anti-Social Behaviour Officers and Community Safety Officers are facing redundancy.

The proposed redundancies have been slammed as “inconceivable” by Unite the Union. A spokesperson added: “The council doesn’t want anyone to know about these cuts yet, but I think it is all very well-known inside upper management, and the proposals are all very much in place. As usual the people on the lower end get cut off whilst those at the top get all the cream.

“We feel the two savings proposals are not in the wider public domain and therefore the Council is not undertaking meaningful consultation with the public, and this could have a dramatic effect on the residents of the borough.

“The proposal to decimate the Community Safety team will affect vulnerable victims of crime, crime which is currently on the increase.”

Steve Rumbelow, Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The budget savings proposals have been subject to consultation and are likely to result in an overall reduction of about 39 jobs. We will ensure, where possible, that we make the reductions through voluntary measures and minimise compulsory redundancies.

“Since 2009 the council’s senior management team has been cut from 24 posts to 10 (58 per cent), saving £1.48 million. Although we need to keep the right numbers of people to deal with this period of significant change, we also recently deleted the post of Deputy Chief Executive and are looking at cutting another 2.5 full time equivalent senior posts, which together will save an extra £150,000 a year.”

More details on the proposed cuts will be released early next month (February).

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