1,000 to lose jobs in Town Hall cull; A looming financial crisis will lead to major staff cuts at Liverpool City Council. City Editor David Bartlett reports.

Byline: David Bartlett 

LIVERPOOL Council is to axe 1,000 jobs over the next three years. Trades unions have warned staff that the local authority is looking to shed 1,000 jobs out of its 10,000 workforce because of a "looming" financial crisis.

The council faces a pounds 120m gap in its budget over the next five years.

The authority is yet to go into details about which staff will be affected: management will meet unions next week to discuss the issue.

There is also a further gap of pounds 11m for the coming financial year that starts in April 2010.

Last night the council said it would work closely with unions to manage job losses as sensitively as possible.

It hoped natural wastage, retirements, and nonreplacement of staff who leave the authority would reduce job losses.

Liverpool Council leader Warren Bradley, who was at a conference with 19 council leaders, said: "We have always said we will work to try to sustain public sector jobs.

"Unfortunately there will be some casualties in this."

Roy Gladden, GMB union representative, said: "Our position is quite clear, the council tells us it has got a crisis looming.

"They tell us that this could mean up to 1,000 jobs going.

"We want to have meaningful negotiations with the council.

"There are areas within the authority that one could be looking at that would not necessarily mean job loses.

"Our position will be that frontline services have to be protected.

"It should also be that no-one talks about redundancies while senior management are getting bonuses.

"We are meeting with the council on November 18 to discuss their proposals."

A council spokesman said the local authority was well advanced in its budget planning for the next financial year.

He added: "We are determined to continue delivering quality services for the people of Liverpool and are looking at a whole series of measures to reduce costs and improve value for money through better efficiency.

"Local government is facing a challenging government settlement as a result of the current economic climate, and changes in the size and composition of the workforce are inevitable.

"A proportion of any reduction will be through natural wastage as employees retire, or not replacing staff who leave.

"We will work closely with staff and trade unions to make sure any job losses are handled as sensitively as possible.

"As part of our normal business, we are reviewing the terms and conditions of staff contracts in consultation with employees and their representatives as part of a harmonisation programme."

Deputy Labour leader Paul Brant said the current pounds 11m budget gap was "deeply worrying".

"It is clear that major and significant cuts are now on the agenda for the public next year.

"This is before the pounds 120m additional gap over the next five years kicks in.

"It is a sign of financial failure that we are facing this situation."

OPINION: PAGE 8

CAPTION(S):

Liverpool City Council is expected to cut 1,000 staff from the Town Hall wage bill