MORE than 20 jobs in children’s and adult services are under threat as Worcestershire County Council looks to cut costs.
Unison, the public sector union, said it is “deeply concerned” about the proposals.
We reported in May the council was planning to cut around 100 roles from across the organisation as part of a major savings programme.
In a statement on Thursday (November 12), Unison’s Worcestershire branch said the council was proposing to delete 22 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles in business support and administrative services, across both children’s and adult services.
The union said it “acknowledges the severe financial pressures” facing the council but was “deeply concerned by the scale of the proposed reductions”.
“The consultation documents propose substantial staffing reductions, including the deletion of 22 FTE posts, a significant reduction in business support officer and admin capacity, with many valued employees potentially placed at risk of redundancy.
“Business support staff provide an essential function that enables frontline services to operate effectively.
“While administrative roles are often described as support functions, they are critical to safeguarding, care management, statutory compliance, financial administration, case management, record keeping, and the efficient delivery of services to vulnerable children, families and adults.”
Unison said the council’s savings targets appeared to be driven by budget requirements rather than by a detailed assessment of workload demand and future operational pressures.
“The assumption that digitalisation, automation and process redesign can absorb the loss of experienced staff requires robust evidence and meaningful consultation with those who undertake the work daily,” it said.
Claims have already been made online that AI will be used to directly replace any staff made redundant.
Unison promised to “engage constructively throughout the consultation period, challenge any proposals where evidence is lacking, and seek to protect jobs, terms and conditions wherever possible”.
“We encourage affected members to engage fully in the consultation process, attend meetings, provide feedback on the proposals, and contact their Unison representatives for advice and support.”
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A council spokesperson said: “It’s not new news that, like many councils across the country, we face significant and ongoing financial pressures driven by rising demand, increasing costs, constrained national funding from government, the need to deliver substantial ongoing savings and reduce reliance on Exceptional Financial Support.
“Our Transformation Programme, which was launched back in May, remains a key part of how we are responding to these challenges.
“This programme has always included an element of reorganisation of some areas of the council to find efficiencies and new ways of working whilst minimising the impact on delivery of our statutory services.
“As part of any consultation process, there is opportunity for those affected by the proposals to ask questions, raise concerns, provide feedback on potential impacts, suggest alternatives and help to shape the future ways of working.”