Redundancy offered to West Northants council staff to save money

West Northamptonshire Council’s main building is in Angel Square in Northampton

Google Glass and steel facade building, three-story office building with small trees and outdoor seating. There is a paved square with flagpoles. — West Northamptonshire Council’s main building is in Angel Square in Northampton

A council facing a multi-million pound budget deficit has invited staff to apply for voluntary redundancy.

West Northamptonshire Council also expected some workers to reduce their working hours to save more money.

Its 2,584 employees were informed about the situation this week.

The authority said no decision would be made “without thorough consideration of the impact on services and the community”.

West Northamptonshire Council took over management of most services in half the county when Northamptonshire, Daventry and South Northamptonshire county councils were abolished in 2021.

The County Council has effectively gone bankrupt.

Since then, the two unitary authorities that replaced him have struggled to balance their books.

Council staff are also based in several buildings in the area, including the Abbey Center in Daventry

Martin Heath/BBC Three-storey light-coloured brick building with glass entrance doors with blue frames. There is a paved area outside and parking spaces. A sign says "The Abbey Center" with the names of organizations located in the building, including West Northamptonshire Council, Time2Talk and DACT. — Council staff are also based in several buildings in the area, including the Abbey Center in Daventry

West Northamptonshire Council has forecast a £72m deficit by 2026, which would represent 8% of its budget.

The Conservative-led authority said it, like many councils across the country, was “dealing with growing demand for statutory services and rising operating costs”.

He added that he is “progressing on a wide range of initiatives that aim to improve the organization’s efficiency while continuing to reduce costs, including focusing on the way the council’s teams are currently structured to provide services”.

Mike Hallam, the council’s cabinet member for corporate services, said: “As part of our ongoing efforts to achieve a balanced budget, we have decided to open a process where colleagues can express an interest in options such as voluntary redundancy, flexible retirement or reduced working hours. .

“This is part of our wider program which focuses on improving the internal efficiency of operations whilst ensuring we continue to provide essential services to our residents.

“This is a very exploratory process and no decision will be made without thorough consideration of the impact on services and the community.”