13 December 2010
Up to 73,000 local government jobs are currently at risk in England, while libraries and leisure services are likely to bear the brunt of budget cuts, according to research by CIPFA.
A survey, based on responses from 150 councils in England, revealed that the future of 73,350 posts is under consideration as budgets for 2010/11 are being prepared. Some 30% of these are frontline non-managerial positions.
But the estimate may come as a relief to some after the Local Government Association said last month that 140,000 jobs were at risk over the coming year. Local government secretary Eric Pickles accused the group of ‘scaremongering’.
A total of 166 councils in England, Scotland and Wales responded to the CIPFA survey, published today.
Meanwhile, more than a quarter of all the local authorities are planning large reductions in their budgets for libraries and leisure services over the coming year.
Investment in capital projects such as new schools and leisure facilities is also set to fall significantly, with a fifth of councils planning cuts of 50% or more, and almost half (44%) scaling their funding back by 30%–50%.
Areas of council spending facing cuts of 10%–20% include adult social care, highways, street cleaning, waste and recycling and environmental health.
CIPFA chief executive Steve Freer said: ‘These are not final budget figures. But they illustrate the scale of the significant cuts which councils are contemplating and which will be firmed up as 2011/12 budgets are finalised over the next few weeks.’
Almost all (96%) of the councils surveyed are already in or intend to join a shared service arrangement with another local authority.
The local government finance settlement for next year is to be published later today.
