Rotherham Council to axe 175 jobs to plug £30m gap

Since 2010 more than 1,800 jobs have been lost at the council

About 175 jobs are due to be lost at Rotherham Council as it looks to plug a £30m funding gap by 2020.

The Labour-run authority has also announced plans to increase council tax by 2.99%.

Since 2010 more than 1,800 jobs have been lost as the authority has sought to make savings of more than £175m.

The council said the changes were necessary to protect services for the borough's most vulnerable children and families.

The budget proposals also include plans to close the council's Bailey House and Rawmarsh depot.

Council leader Chris Read said: "These continue to be deeply challenging times for councils right across the country, with no end in sight to the reductions in government funding that have hit communities like ours so hard.

"Building on the huge improvements in our Children's Social Care over the last few years, our proposals will ensure that we meet our commitments to our most vulnerable children.

"We are doing all that we can to put both Adult and Children's Social Care on a sustainable financial footing."

The announcement comes a day after Rotherham MP Sarah Champion warned the council was struggling to meet the financial implications of a dramatic increase in demand for children's services.

The council said it plans to invest an additional £17m over the next two years in to protecting vulnerable children and families.

The authority is also expected to approve plans to introduce free weekend parking at Wellgate multi-storey and Drummond Street and said it would save nearly £500,000 per year after renegotiating the lease on its Riverside House HQ.

The cabinet is expected to confirm the plan on 18 February ahead of a budget setting meeting on 27 February.