Woking: Hundreds of jobs put at risk at debt-ridden council

The council's debt is forecast to hit £2.6bn

A debt-ridden council has put 350 members of staff on notice of redundancy as it halts spending.

Last month, Woking Borough Council issued a Section 114 notice to stop all non-essential spending as its debts were forecast to hit £2.6bn.

The council said it was undergoing a "full restructure" to become smaller and cheaper.

The formal process starts on 24 July as the council tries to bridge an annual budget deficit of £11m.

The council's draft consultation says this would ultimately lead to the equivalent of 60 full-time jobs lost but the exact number of people made redundant could climb higher when part-time and job-share numbers are taken into account.

The job cuts are required as part of any potential government bailout.

Councillor Ian Johnson said it is going to be a "very difficult" and "challenging" time for staff. 

Jenny Mason, Unison representative in Woking, said the union was doing everything it could for staff, but it was difficult to know the exact depth of the cuts in terms of overall headcount.

She said: "At the moment it's still a draft consultation and we will have a clearer picture when the final consultation document is sent out.

"As you can expect, people are stressed, people are worried. It's not made any easier by being in a bit of a holding situation.

"Until we get the final documents, nobody knows what their situation is."

'Really difficult'

The union said it was holding regular meetings with staff. Ms Mason said: "It's difficult, really difficult. We are doing what we can to support them.

"The money the council has got to save makes it so clear cut. It wouldn't be in anybody's interest to aggravate things and start any industrial action."

The scale of the cuts facing the council was discussed at the executive meeting of Woking Borough Council last Thursday as it agreed its mid-term financial strategy.

They are part of a package of cuts that will shed about £12m from its annual budget. 

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