Council strike could 'bring city to a halt'

Residents in Birmingham are facing a council tax rise of more than 20% over the next two years under city council plans

A union said strike action which would "bring the city to a halt" is more likely after Birmingham City Council announced plans to cut 600 jobs.

The GMB said staff were in shock after learning of the news in an email from the authority's chief executive Deborah Cadman on Tuesday.

In it, Ms Cadman acknowledged the news was "unsettling" for staff but the council faced "unprecedented financial, cultural and governance challenges".

The authority declared itself effectively bankrupt in September and had a target to save £300m in the next two years, while council tax was likely to rise by more than 20% over the same period.

The council needs to settle a £760m bill for equal pay claims and has an £80m overspend on an IT system.

Ms Cadman said no decisions on jobs would be made until the end of a consultation period.

"I understand that this news will be unsettling, and I want to reassure you that we are here to support you through this process," she added in her email.

Councillor Robert Alden, leader of the Conservative Group in Birmingham, told the BBC: "There's no honesty from the council about where these job cuts are going to fall.

"Residents are left wondering, is this meaning bins are going to be collected less often, is this libraries are going to close, is this services supporting children in schools going to go?"

Strike action is likely after Birmingham City Council announces plans to cut 600 jobs, the GMB union says

Delcan Downes, GMB regional organiser, said the job cuts would affect services used by the most vulnerable people.

"When you look at the size of Birmingham and the geography of it, we’ve got some really deprived areas and I think it’s those people who will suffer most," he added.

The GMB is currently balloting it’s members over industrial action because of delays to settling it’s equal pay claim with the council.

"[A strike] would bring the city to a halt really, with the amount of members we’ve got and the amount of services they are in, it would mean not delivering," Mr Downes said.

"It’s not something we want to do, but if we are left with no choice it is something we will do."

The GMB said it was "incredibly disappointing" to see the job losses in the public domain before the council had spoken with the trade union.

Anne-Marie Lodge said she loved her job and worked with the best people

Meanwhile, one council worker said she wanted to continue to provide a great service to customers despite the fact she could lose her job.

Anne-Marie Lodge had spent nearly 20 years working for the council and said the news was "demotivating and disheartening".

Ms Lodge, a customer adviser from Ladywood, said the authority was keeping employees well-informed and handling the situation brilliantly.

"We’ve received emails every step of the way advising what’s happening," she said.

She loved helping people every day at work and had the best colleagues, she added.

"It is going to be tough, I’m trying not to overthink things but I will try and plan for the worst or the best of a situation," she added.