Middlesbrough Council threatens further job cuts

Increasing spending pressures is due to inflation and wage increases

A council facing a multimillion-pound deficit has warned it will need to cut further jobs, after axing 900 people since 2010.

Middlesbrough Council said it needed to find another £12m in savings on top of £10m in cuts already approved.

Jobs that face the axe include pest control services and street wardens.

Union Unison blamed government cuts for removing "another 100 jobs from the local economy". The government has been contacted for comment.

Unison regional organiser Duncan Rothwell said: "It is the working people of Middlesbrough who are made to pay the price of this Tory government's obsession with austerity and funding emergency lorry parks in Kent."

The council has planned £4.5m in savings and said it wanted to save money on areas that have a "minimal or no effect" on front-line services.

But it warned it will have an effect on jobs, adding compulsory redundancies were "always a last resort".

Middlesbrough Mayor Dave Budd said: "Our strategic planning is strong and as a result I am confident that although there will be a significant reduction in posts, this will be managed with a minimal requirement for compulsory redundancies."