Services to take another hit at Swansea

The bad news keeps on coming at Calamity Hall. Yesterday, it was revealed that another consequence of poor financial management by Swansea’s Lib-Dem led local authority was that budget cuts could result in the loss of up to 100 teaching jobs.

Today, a leaked e-mail by the chief executive spells out the scale of a wider problem. In a private note sent to councillors and copied to key officers, Paul Smith states. "We face a budget deficit of around £15 million in 2010/11 and the cabinet and council will be determining how this can be covered through a range of measures, including service reductions, changes in charges, and staffing reductions”.

The thinking is that senior management staff will figure among the proposed casualties and opposition members are unsurprisingly drawing up their personal hit-lists of those who served the upstart regime a little too eagerly. Others however are already questioning just how inclusive this process is likely to be. After the autocratic actions of council leader Chris Holley and his buddies in high places, it is doubtful whether anyone would feel comfortable rejecting recommendations by a Section 151 Officer (see this post for an explanation).
.
(JX)