Web Forum: Council cuts

Sep 24 2009 by Andrew Jackson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

“COUNCILLORS to give up allowances to make budget savings” was the quote and one of our Forum users picked up on it straight away.

StephB raged: “Sorry, the real quote is of course: ‘Hundreds of council workers will lose their jobs as Kirklees seeks vast savings’.

“But we can dream of a really democratic council, alive to the fact that those workers are also council taxpayers, therefore are going to have to help pay the iniquitous amounts of expenses for councillors.

“Note, Kirklees to make cuts, the spending cuts would hit Huddersfield.”

markmyword49 was familiar with the scenario: “Always the poor infantry never the officer corps.

“However, they are going to try and reduce staffing by natural wastage.

“I would have thought that those employees thinking of resigning from their posts will be in short supply given a glance at Wednesday night’s Examiner shows the dearth of vacancies in the private sector.

“Will there be a voluntary redundancy scheme I wonder or will it be suggested to anyone over 55 that the terms are too good to refuse?

“I heard on the national news that Birmingham had made 40 people compulsory redundant today. A sign of things to come? “How will it affect local businesses? I was once informed that every job lost by any large local employer, and Kirklees is certainly that, lead to the loss of another two in the local economy.”

despondent: “I would hope any expectations of golden handshake inducements are right out of the window for any higher up the ladder.”

markmyword49 came back with: “But those are exactly the people they want rid of from the ‘bean counters’ point of view.

“They are middle management and above, earning over the national average with plenty of years of pensionable service which means that for every extra year they complete the pension liability grows.”

WobblyRach came in with: “Oh, I totally agree with Steph B.

“I mean £1.4 million a year for councillor’s allowances. Not a single party has offered an alternative that doesn’t involve making the workers suffer.”

And so it goes on...