Public Services Management Update: Job loss fears

TOTAL job losses in local authorities could be far greater than the figure of 33,000 calculated by the Local Government Chronicle. This omitted most district councils which, according to the Conservative-led Association of District Councils, can be expected to make significant cuts this year. The net figure, according to the local government union Nalgo, could be as high as 80,000. Most commentators expect it to be higher than last year, when 36,600 jobs were lost in a one-year period in England and Wales alone, says the Local Government Management Board. Service losses will be felt in adult education, nursery education, discretionary grants to students, reduced opening hours and closures of libraries and leisure centres, and fewer grants to voluntary organisations.