Cash- strapped council have £ 1m of vacancies
Jobs up for grabs despite £ 17m of brutal cuts ahead
Almost £ 1 million worth of jobs are up for grabs at South Ayrshire Council, it can be revealed.
The authority, facing a £ 17 million budget defecit, is continuing to cast the net for a range of top positions.
Critics this week hit out at the recruitment policy, insisting protection of under- threat posts should come first.
A raft of jobs are currently advertised boasting salaries north of £ 30,000 per year.
Teaching, social services, project management and IT jobs all help to swell the bill.
Jim Winter, of Unite the Union, said: “The council should be weighing up its budget proposals before recruiting in this manner.
“We need to see what staff are going to be displaced as a result of the budget cuts and go from there.
“For me, there is a lot of money that is being spent wrongfully by the council at this time.
“And this kind of recruitment policy is a prime example of that.”
The council’s opposition leader, Tory Martin Dowey, added: “While there will be some jobs that need to be filled as a matter of necessity, clearly the majority of jobs should not be advertised at this time as we, as a council, endeavour to close the large budget defecit of which this sum would go some way to achieving.
“I think the priority of the council should be to protect existing jobs for our workers in this uncertain time.”
Council HR boss, Kate O’Hagan, said: “We need to ensure we have the right people in place to deliver the highquality services that our people and communities both deserve and need.
“We assess whether any post is needed and are currently recruiting for a number of vacancies.
“These include teachers, care workers, and community staff, who provide essential support and contribute to the delivery and improvement of frontline services to our communities.
“These posts also provide job opportunities for both local people as well as those interested in working in this fantastic part of the country.”