Wirral Council staff offered redundancy to save money

Staff will be warned future severance packages could be lower

Nearly 6,000 Wirral Council staff are being asked to consider leaving their jobs in an attempt to save money.

The council is offering its workers the chance to leave or work fewer hours as it tackles a £108m budget deficit over the next four years.

Staff who choose to leave will receive 2.2 weeks' wages for every year worked, but they have been warned this package could lower in the future.

Council leader Jeff Green said council services would still be maintained.

"We have worked out it is going to be unsustainable and unaffordable to maintain the current severance package that we have," he said.

'As open as possible'

"I thought in all fairness, because there are staff who have worked for us for some considerable time and who have worked flat out for the people of Wirral, I have tried to be as open and as fair as possible.

"I have said we're going to change these conditions, and before we change them, you should know that that's going to happen and you will have an opportunity to leave on the current terms."

He did say that not everyone who applies would be able to go, to make sure council services continued to run smoothly.

"If people would like to go under these current terms we would have to ensure that everyone else works flexibly to allow services to continue, he said.

"People will be working in different ways using different tools, but we will maintain service continuity.

"I'm going to do everything I can to make sure compulsory redundancies are not made."

Mr Green said letters were being sent to council workers from acting chief executive Jim Wilkie outlining the offer.

Wirral Council said the offer applied to all council employees apart from those working in schools.