Government cuts could cost 9,500 public sector jobs across Leicestershire
More than 9,500 public sector jobs could be lost across Leicestershire under the Government's planned spending cuts.
Ministers have accepted that the number of people employed by the state could be reduced by about 610,000 jobs across Britain during the next five years.
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MP Peter Soulsby
New figures suggest that could include 9,580 jobs in the city and county.
Currently, there are 107,900 public sector employees in Leicestershire and a report by the House of Commons Library says 5,092 county-based posts are at risk, with 4,488 jobs in the city under threat.
The positions include council, police, education and health employees, quango staff and workers for Government departments.
The Government believes future growth in the private sector will create 2.5 million jobs nationwide to more than make up for the inevitable losses as it tries to tackle the UK's £890 billion debt.
But critics are not convinced.
Leicester South MP Peter Soulsby said: "It is quite clear the savage cuts will have a huge impact on both central and local government positions in this area.
"There are a lot of very nervous public sector employees at the moment who do not know what their future prospects are.
"In Leicester we have a lot of tax officers and the Land Registry. "Those positions will all be at risk as well as the city and county council posts that face being cut.
"If so, many people lose their jobs and it will harm the economic recovery the coalition Government has predicted."
About 1,000 Leicester City Council posts could be lost with 650 jobs going at County Hall. A further 400 are also being cut at the Leicester's three hospitals.
East Midlands GMB union official Sian McClarence said: "Rumours of job cuts are circulating and we are being contacted by people who fear what will happen to their working conditions.
"Frontline services will be affected and I don't believe the Government has thought out the full impact of its cuts programme on the wider economy."
A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said tackling the deficit would "bring confidence to the private sector and help to create jobs".
Ministers would also give tax breaks to companies outside London who wanted to take on new workers and invest £50 million toward creating 50,000 new apprenticeships to help young people into jobs.
Martin Traynor, chief executive of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "The private sector in Leicester and Leicestershire is recovering quicker than the rest of the country. Unemployment has been falling steadily this year.
"I believe that the private sector could offer job opportunities for people leaving the public sector."
23 Comments
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by j, leic
Saturday, July 24 2010, 11:58AM
“Ps, Fiona, are you seriously suggesting that you don't understand why local authorities employ people to increase the number of people who have an active and healthy lifestlye living within their areas? Really? Like, SERIOUSLY? Oh my god.........”
by j, leic
Saturday, July 24 2010, 11:52AM
“Wow, good avoidance techniques there Fiona! Are you not going to attempt to answer a single thing I posted (effectively demolishing your argument)? Are you just going to pretend you are still right and oh so clever? Guess it helps you get through life.................”
by Fiona, Loughborough
Friday, July 23 2010, 10:47PM
“ahh J i witnessed your downfall on the LM website yesterday where you kept reposting where you had been incorrectly quoted and i now understand your frustration as the same has happened to me - only today ! Could you quote me where i said Kelvin MacKenzie was my hero ?? You see i think David Rathband is a hero and many others but I don't think (correct me if i'm wrong as i'm sure you will) that I said Kelvin was ? Regarding Hillsborough yes i know what happened because believe it or not I can read as well !! The one thing you didn't comment on was my Mr Pickles post and why a cheerleading development officer was needed ? Now whilst I would love to spend the rest of the weekend having a debate with you (to be honest i can't quite face an 140+ comment arguement) I am off camping - (feel free to come along you may learn to have a bit of fun )- soo looking forward to my comment being reposted with your comments i can hardly contain myself - J - think happy thoughts !!!”
by Jeffo, Leicester
Friday, July 23 2010, 10:19PM
“Just remember, when you're waiting for your tax refund, or your benefit to be paid on time, or your passport doesn't turn up before your holiday, or your tax credits stop and you don't know the reason why, or you suspect your neighbour is commiting benefit fraud and have no one to report it to,or your elderly parent can't get their pension credit processed that the people who would have done all this tasks apparently had to lose their jobs. Oh.... and you have to call India to ask what happened. But can't understand what's being said! Think again Nick! Hard working Civil Servants are the backbone of this country and many of them earn between £15,000 and £18,000”
by Tony Church, Leicester
Friday, July 23 2010, 8:40PM
“Nick - You sound like the grumpy old man in the pub; the one who bores everyone with his boasts of how he knows the answer to every problem in the world. You need to get out more.
David - If you want to attack the muppets of New Labour, don't do so by repeating like a parrot the latest Tory tabloid artcle you've read.
Thank goodness, there's a universe outside the insular and opinionated virtual world of the Leicester Mercury web comments.”