Leaders at Blackpool Council have revealed that hundreds of public sector workers in the Lancashire town are to be laid off over the next few years, as the local authority wrestles with budget cuts of £27 million.
According to BBC News, 400 compulsory redundancies will be issued, while applications will be invited for an unspecified number of voluntary redundancies. A total of 200 temporary employees will leave upon expiry of their contracts and 150 outgoing staff will not be replaced.
“The coalition government has had no choice but to reduce the huge deficit run up by the previous Labour administration, but I do not feel that Blackpool’s special case has been considered fully,” said Blackpool Council’s Conservative leader Peter Callow.
He added that he would continue to put pressure on the Tory-led coalition government for further concessions, claiming Blackpool’s historic status as a major tourist resort means it has special financial requirements.
Last week, Liverpool City Council confirmed it was to shed around 1,500 jobs, pointing the finger at what it claimed was an insufficient monetary settlement from Westminster.
Posted by Cameron Thomson