Power transfer could see Bristol council shed 100 staff

The government's 2016 devolution deal that created Weca put the combined authority in charge of the region's transport.

Around 70 Bristol City Council staff could lose their jobs when certain powers are transferred to the West of England Combined Authority (Weca).

Around 100 jobs could be cut in strategic transport and city design, with Weca creating about 30 roles.

Affected staff would be made redundant and have to apply for the jobs, in a move criticised by union Unison.

The council said financial challenges meant it was making a "smaller, more efficient organisation".

A spokesperson added: "No decisions have been made on how to progress this work and further detail will be made available ahead of cabinet in December."

The government's 2016 devolution deal that created Weca put the combined authority in charge of the region's transport.

But "Covid and other pressures delayed the transfer of those powers and functions" from City Hall until now.

Weca said that the new roles will be advertised

The council is "now seeking to move this situation along to ensure these strategic functions sit in the right place," it said.

But the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands there will be no automatic transfer of staff to Weca via TUPE employment regulations that protect pay and conditions.

Instead everyone affected would be made redundant and have to apply for about 30 newly created roles, it said.

The future of staff in the city design team is less certain and appears to be part of a wider restructure of the planning department, with no obvious place for them in Weca, LDRS reported.

'Ill-considered'

Tory councillor Richard Eddy said the scale of the changes in strategic transport would strip Bristol of the expertise and ability to design and deliver schemes, while Weca might not champion its priorities.

He said the "plans look half-baked, risky and dangerous".

Green Councillor Emma Edwards callled on the mayor to release the detailed proposals immediately

Green councillor Emma Edwards said: "We call on the mayor (Marvin Rees) to release the detailed proposals immediately, so the full impact and risks can be assessed by councillors."

Unison Bristol branch secretary Tom Merchant said that if the members called on them to lead action "we will do so", adding that it was expecting "swingeing cuts" and "mass redundancies".

On strategic transport, a council spokesperson said that it is seeking to move transferring powers to Weca "to ensure these strategic functions sit in the right place".

Mr Norris said new roles will be available for transport specialists at Weca

On the city design and planning issue, they said that given the "current financial challenge" it is carrying out a strategic plan "to make the council a smaller, more efficient organisation, with a focus on developing people, places and partnerships to improve outcomes".

This includes reviewing the work carried out across the council to ensure they avoid duplication, they added.

"We are currently consulting on a range of proposals to help meet the potential £87.6 million budget gap we face over the coming five years."

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Labour metro mayor Dan Norris, who heads Weca, said it is "currently looking at structures across transport teams" to ensure they deliver.

"This will result in some new roles becoming available for transport specialists," he added.

Additional reporting by Ollie Pritchard-Jones

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