Over 200 job losses to tackle a significant budget shortfall at Wakefield Council will have a serious impact on council staff and services for people in the city, warns UNISON today (Tuesday).
UNISON research published earlier this year found that Wakefield Council is short of around £23m needed to maintain essential services in 2025/26.
But the situation has worsened significantly, says UNISON. The local authority has announced that it now has a £35.8m budget deficit for the coming financial year (25/26).
At a meeting with UNISON and other unions, council officers revealed plans to cut 236 jobs by the end of March.
The job losses are likely to affect property services, IT, administration and business support.
Such substantial cuts will not only have a huge impact on those who will lose their jobs, but also on other council employees who will inevitably have to take on their work, warns UNISON. It will also mean less money circulating in the local economy, which will in turn hit local businesses, adds the union.
Residents across the city will also feel the impact, UNISON says. With fewer workers across the authority and those who remain in post stretched ever more thinly, key services are bound to suffer, it adds.
UNISON says Wakefield is the latest local authority to find itself in such a perilous financial position due to more than a decade of council underfunding.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Rianne Hooley said: “Like many councils, Wakefield has already experienced significant cuts to staffing levels over the past 14 years.
“Back in 2011, more than half of council funding came from national government, compared to just 6% now. This shows how the previous Conservative governments gradually reduced the funding for the city’s vital services. Now there’s little left to cut.
“UNISON is working closely with senior council figures to try to find a solution that avoids the need for compulsory redundancies.”
UNISON Wakefield branch secretary Sam Greenwood said: “It’s clear Wakefield Council is in a very difficult financial situation and will need to make tough decisions. But councillors must do everything possible to avoid compulsory job cuts.
“The impact of these proposals cannot be overstated. It’s essential that every possible way of saving money is explored to avoid jobs being axed.”
