Property slump hits Nottinghamshire council jobs

An extra 250 posts could go at Nottinghamshire County Council because of a slump in the property sector.

The council has started a consultation with staff in property services in an effort to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies.

Officials said a drop in future projects, including the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme, had forced the move.

The authority has already said up to 450 jobs would go this year alone.

Limited resources

The council is looking to save £120m over the next four years as local income and government grants fall.

Now staff in the property services department have been served with formal notices saying 253 jobs are at risk.

A spokesman said: "The announcement follows work to analyse future workload in light of financial constraints.

"Much of the work of the design teams is nearing completion and due to more limited national resources the number of new projects will reduce significantly. Maintenance will continue but at a lower level.

"The government has announced the Building Schools for the Future programme has been halted for Nottinghamshire. As a result of all of this we cannot sustain the current staffing levels."

The council said the department would not be closed and it hoped voluntary redundancies, redeployment and not filling vacant posts would help limit compulsory job losses.