Trafford Council cuts 180 jobs in £34m spending cuts

Trafford Council is to cut 180 jobs and ask staff to take five days unpaid leave a year as part of £34m budget savings.

The Conservative-led authority has also revealed it is closing 10 of its 16 children's centres to meet the savings, between April 2013 and 2015.

Council leaders have warned that despite efficiency savings frontline services will also be affected.

Opposition leaders have condemned the cuts plan as "disastrous".

Under the two-year proposals, volunteers will also be brought in to help run the council's libraries.

Councillor Sean Anstee, executive member for finance, said: "Trafford Council has been at the forefront of managing reduced finances through achieving innovative and sometimes groundbreaking efficiencies across all our services.

'Vulnerable most affected'

"However, we recognise that savings cannot come from efficiencies and the back office alone and that very difficult decisions will have to be made as a result of less available funding and increasing demand for our services."

Councillor Dave Acton, leader of the Labour opposition, described the cuts as "disastrous news".

''Another £34m of further cuts in Trafford comes on top of the £45m cut over the last 3 years.

"This latest announcement will inflict enormous damage to the services provided to Trafford residents and further damage our local economy.

"The worst aspect of the cuts is the immediate impact they will have for the most vulnerable in our communities - the elderly, the people with learning disabilities and families with children who are already struggling to make ends meet."

In December, the council announced plans to allow volunteers and community groups to run libraries and youth clubs.

The job cuts follow the axing of 100 posts last year and 150 in 2010.