Birmingham City Council 'to shed 7,000 jobs'

Birmingham City Council says 7,000 jobs must go in a bid to save £300m.

So far 1,500 staff have requested voluntary redundancy, meaning forced losses will be "significantly reduced," council officials have said.

Some £212m - 71% of the savings target - will be made in the 12 months from April this year.

The details were revealed by officials and councillors in a briefing document. A final decision will be made in March. It's not just devastating news for people losing their jobs, but for the people of Birmingham"

The union Unison described the job losses as "devastating".

The council says the jobs will go over the next three to four years, with 2,450 going in the next financial year.

Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: "Undoubtedly this has been one of the most challenging budgets to plan.

"Although, inevitably, there will be a focus on reduced spend across the public sector it is important to remember that more than £3.5bn is still to be spent on quality public services."

See the rest of the article on the following link:- BBC