Darkest day for Wolverhampton City Council
It has been described as Wolverhampton's darkest day. There were tears, frustration and deep anger with the stark realisation that thousands of jobs had gone, much-loved events were likely to go and vital services were under threat.
As the shockwaves from the devastating cuts continued today, there was sympathy from the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, who said his 'heart went out' to those families affected by the news.
The sheer scale of the huge losses which will be felt across the city – as £123 million is saved over five years – is still being realised and today it can be revealed that:
Services for elderly people and those with learning disabilities could be privatised
Popular public events including Wolvestock, the City Show and annual bonfires are under threat
Opposition figures have renewed calls for council leaders to resign
Angry union bosses discussed the cuts at a meeting in the city last night, with hugely controversial proposals that will see workers' hours cut high on the agenda.
Fears for the future of staff – of whom 2,000 will lose their jobs – are rife, while those who won't lose their jobs will not be paid on the first day they call in sick.
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The meeting came just hours after council chief executive Simon Warren told employees of their fate during meetings at the Civic Hall.
But Mr Warren, leader Roger Lawrence and finance chief Andrew Johnson have rejected strong calls from senior Tory councillors for them to resign.
Last night Dr Williams expressed his sincere sympathy for those under threat of losing their jobs.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury was giving a talk at the Arena Theatre and said people in Wolverhampton could resonate with the 'poverty of security' in jobs.
Dr Williams said his 'heart went out' to those families affected by the news and added: "It seems a desperate situation.
"What makes it worse is that it appears the situation has apparently got worse in months – a very short space of time.
"It must make people feel very insecure and wonder if their jobs are safe."
Meanwhile Unison members discussed claims that services will be outsourced and around 500 workers transferred to the private sector.
It is alleged they have been told of the plans for certain services – including children's, elderly people, learning disabilities and mental health.
Dawn Sant, Unison regional organiser, said it was a fresh blow on top of yesterday's announcement that 2,000 jobs will be axed.
She said: "Further devastating news is that the council are seeking to out-source essential services in care covering vulnerable people in our community.
"This will see a further 500 council workers being transferred into the private sector.
"This is a sad day, not only for the dedicated council staff whose jobs are under threat but also for the people of Wolverhampton who will see a devastating impact on the services that are so important in their daily lives."
Wolverhampton City Council has so far refused to comment on the claims.
On their way into the meeting, which took place at the Britannia Hotel in Wolverhampton, union members said they were 'devastated' by the news.
Many also reacted angrily to proposals that would see workers' weeks cut from 37 hours to 35 hours for all but the lowest paid staff.
They were also unhappy at plans not to pay staff on the first day they call in sick.
People who drive their own cars on council business also face seeing their allowances cut from 45p to 25p a mile.
Pay freezes will also be brought in. A further Unison meeting to discuss the cuts will be held on March 18.
Sue Brealey, who is the Wolverhampton Unison general branch chairman, said: "We will consult with our members on how they feel about these attacks on their terms and conditions and their pay.
"We will hold a further meeting with our staff about this."
Workers spoke of their anger and upset as they headed in to the meeting.
One staff member, who asked not to be named, said: "Everything about what has been announced is turning the tables on the weakest people in Wolverhampton."
Another added: "I think we all knew that something serious was going on when we were called to meetings with just 24 hours notice.
"The number of redundancies is just shocking."
But she claimed people did not know the full extent of the crisis at the council. "The department which I work for has been told not to order any more stationery. At the moment, we are having to print on coloured paper because we can't order any more white paper.
"It is hitting a lot harder than people realise."
Speaking after last night's meeting she added: "It seems like people are ready to organise themselves to fight this.
"We need as many Unison people as possible to come to the meeting on March 18."
Another staff member said she feared for her colleagues who had young families.
She added: "One of the things I can't understand is that in all these cuts they are only ever talking about frontline services, never the managers.
"So that means there are just as many managers but for teams that are half the size they were before- maybe they are looking in the wrong places."
Margaret Millward, aged 64, who has worked at the council for 25 years, said: "I don't think it has all sunk in for people straight away.
"People are quite worried about the cut from 37 hours a week to 35 hours a week. It is younger colleagues with families that I worry about.
"It is forcing people into poverty.
"Also, the people that are going to be hit are the service users."
Paulette Whyte, who is from the Parkfields area of the city, works in adult and community services.
She said she would be concerned about the transfer of staff to the private sector.
"What will become of the service users?" she said.
"This is an attack on the terms and conditions of workers."
Adrian Turner, Unison rep at Wolverhampton City Council, said: "We will be consulting our members and asking what they want to do about this.
"Unison members did not cause the financial crisis. Why should public sector workers be expected to have their terms and conditions taken away?
"We have had a lot of anger expressed by people.
"Some form of industrial action may well take place at some stage.
"The council already has a robust scheme for managing attendance.
"The changes in working hours, coupled with the ban on flexi-time off, will just mean people putting their coats on as soon as they've worked 35 hours and going home.
"People have always worked above their contracted hours. But there's only so much they will take."
Meanwhile some of the West Midlands' best known outdoor events are under threat.
All outdoor events in Wolverhampton - including Wolvestock, the City Show and the annual bonfires- will be reviewed and the number reduced.
Events could also be scaled down.
