Job-cuts fear as council slashes budget

JOB cuts, more volunteers in children's centres, reduced library spending, health and care changes and rising burial costs are among ideas to save £23 million in next year's Oldham Council budget.

The council's Cabinet will discuss options on Monday to address more cuts required by the Government. The first tranche will save just under £12 million.

A Cabinet paper says Oldham Council's senior management could lose the equivalent of 56 full-time jobs across commercial services, neighbourhoods, deputy chief executive and the chief executive departments.

The council wants to save £300,000 from the borough's six children's centres run by Action for Children and The Children's Society.

The paper says: "It is expected that service users will be largely protected from the impact of the savings. This may include staff reconfiguration and increased use of volunteers and apprentices."

It says children's centres are the cornerstone of "early intervention" work to help young children and families. However, it hopes other work will lessen any impact on the most needy.

Two-year-old children are to be targeted in future children's centre work and the paper says local volunteers will be a key element in promoting the schemes.

It proposes more trained volunteer parents within a formal programme of work led by each centre.

Other options could include reduced opening hours.

Councillor John McCann, the opposition Lib-Dem group's deputy leader and shadow finance portfolio holder, said: "The council faces some very hard choices and the Lib-Dems will offer constructive criticism of the budget. The council has little choice.

"The Government took an extra £2.5 million from its budget after a technical consultation, which made things even harder. All the Oldham political parties condemned the cut.

"However, I have some worries about how changes are implemented and if the council can meet its targets for two-year-olds.

"It will require good management to fill the places so the centres get future funding. However there are some good mangers who say they can do it."

Elsewhere, the Cabinet paper proposes a £60,000 reduction in library book funds. It acknowledges that library users may become dissatisfied with the cuts and suggests a communication plan to handle the changes.

Councillor McCann said: "To be blunt I'd rather have book-funding cuts than libraries closed. Again, it's a hard choice."

Other savings and realignments are proposed for various community care and social services.

Mr McCann has some concerns about changes to a "slightly outdated" but well-established Oldham refuge for vulnerable women and families fleeing abuse.

There could be tragic consequences if things went wrong, he said.

He welcomed a shift to greater NHS involvement, saying the health service nationally had operated independently from councils for too long. However, he said changes to care services, including Royton specialist care home Tandle View Court, had to be carefully managed.

The Cabinet paper also proposes raising cremation costs in Oldham from £575 to £650, while grave costs of £670 will rise to £870.

Commissioned work with other councils will end.

Elsewhere, the Cabinet will consider unifying the authority's computer systems and generating income through finance services.