Compulsory axe fear for council jobs
Only way to ‘ bridge £ 17m budget gap’
Scores of council jobs face the axe as bosses ponder a sensational u- turn.
The Post can reveal compulsory redundancies – ruled out just weeks ago – are now said to be inevitable.
Top South Ayrshire sources say “only a miracle” will prevent a cull of the 5000- strong workforce.
It comes as the new SNPled coalition in County Buildings grapples with a yawning budget gap of £ 17million.
The rainbow alliance, which includes Labour and Independent councillors, pledged no cuts just days after ascending the throne.
But it is understood panic has now set in with early budget talks revealing a “near impossible” task to deliver on the pledge.
A senior insider said: “For all Bill McIntosh was criticised as council leader, he performed wonders to balance the books during his time.
“And it was widely recognised that whoever came after him faced an almost impossible task trying to save £ 17million.
“The new administration were boxing themselves into a corner by ruling out compulsory redundancies on their first day in office.
“Now the tone has very quickly changed and it’s becoming an open secret when you meet them in the corridors that only a miracle will prevent jobs from going.”
New resources chief, Peter Henderson, has been tasked with chopping the council’s spend.
But sources close to the former HMRC man claim he increasingly fears only one escape route.
Union leaders insist any compulsory cuts would be a “betrayal” of staff, who were promised their jobs were safe.
Jim Winter, of Unite, said: “It was madness to make these promises against a backdrop of such savage cuts.
“We are hearing the same as everyone else – that the council faces a very difficult task to protect these jobs.
“But if they don’t, it will be a betrayal of the workers, pure and simple.”
Conservative leader Martin Dowey, who heads the council’s opposition, said: “If this is in fact true, then I find it extremely sad and disappointing, that our hard working and dedicated staff in South Ayrshire are faced with this uncertain news.
“As leader of the Conservative group, I will not support these cuts.
“Labour allegedly went into power with the SNP and the Independent councillors on a promise of no compulsory job cuts, but less than three months later the new administration, if true, are already planning job cuts.
“This flies in the face of all the promises and pledges they made and the main reason for their alliance with the SNP.”
Council leader Douglas Campbell this week denied his team was pressing any panic puttons.
He s a i d : “T h e Administration has formed a budget working group and has advised the management team of the our priorities.
“In achieving previous budget settlements the council has not resorted to compulsory redundancies a n d o u r d e c l a re d intention is to maintain the previous practice of staff volunteering for early retirement, voluntarily leaving the council’s employment or redeployment to a new or vacant post.”