Worcestershire County Council is planning to cut around 100 roles as part of a major transformation programme aimed at saving up to £8.6 million a year.
A cabinet report says the authority faces “rising financial and operational challenges” and needs to make significant savings to reduce its reliance on exceptional financial support.
In February, the council needed a £59.9 million bailout from the government in order to set a balanced budget and raised council tax by nine percent.
The authority says it needs to make savings of between £35m and £40m this financial year.
CABINET: The proposal is going before the council’s new cabinet tomorrow (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
The first phase of a plan going before cabinet members tomorrow (Thursday, May 21) would create a new corporate services directorate, bringing together functions including finance, HR, technology and assurance, and expand the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence.
The council says the changes are designed to improve efficiency, strengthen financial control, and prepare the authority for local government reorganisation.
The report says the programme could deliver annual savings of between £6.6m and £8.6m, including up to £4.3m from a reduction of about 100 posts.
The programme also includes a plan to cut down the amount spent using procurement cards, used for low-value spends at places like Amazon and supermarkets.
The councils says this could save up to £4.3m a year.
Cabinet is being asked to back the transformation plan and approve consultation on the proposed changes – although the papers were drawn up under the previous Reform administration and it remains to be seen whether the council’s new coalition of Green, Lib Dem, Tory, and independent councillors will vote for it.
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The fact that deputy council leader Adam Kent has been suspended by the Conservative Party adds another layer of complexity to the situation going into the first cabinet meeting since Reform were kicked out of power and Matt Jenkins became leader of the council.
The report says the council will aim to minimise compulsory redundancies, although it acknowledges there will be “workforce impacts.”
It says its focus would be on “supporting staff wellbeing, maintaining continuity of service delivery, and ensuring organisational stability.”
If cabinet does vote for the lay-offs, formal staff consultation is expected to run until the end of October 2026.