Waltham Forest Council to shed 469 jobs by 2013

Waltham Forest Council has agreed to shed 469 jobs by 2012-13 from its 3,430-strong workforce with more job losses to come in 2013-14.

The east London council approved cuts of £10.2m to bring its 2011-12 budget to £448.9m. It expects to achieve 34% of savings from back-office posts.

The Labour-run council plans to cut its budget by £65m over four years.

A council spokesman said the cuts would affect all areas of the local authority.

Pay cuts

"We think that the cuts that are being imposed on us are too deep and too quick, but we have to deliver them as responsibly as possible and set a legal budget.

"We won't pretend that there isn't pain as some valued services will have to change or stop, and hard-working employees will lose their jobs."

The council plans to save £1.1m in senior management costs while councillors' pay has been cut by 10%, saving £372,000.

It said it had frozen council staff pay and was looking at sharing services with other councils.

Over the next two years, 141 jobs are to be cut from environment and regeneration services, 67 from advice services to residents, 74 from adult social care, 65 from finance posts and 70 from back-office posts.

A total of 30 London councils have finalised budget cuts for the next financial year, with more than 8,400 jobs being lost.

Local authorities face an average 9.9% cut in government formula grant funding in 2011-12.

The plans already announced by London councils stand to save the public purse more than £1bn over three years.