Leader celebrates job losses

No-one has been all that surprised at the insensitive attitude shown by Chris Holley to the loss of 39 DVLA jobs in Swansea as part of plans to shed 800 regional posts overall.

What has raised a few eyebrows is his apparent eagerness to accept doubtful government assurances of a net gain of 400 relocated staff posts to the main operations centre in the city.

Perhaps he is simply dismissing warnings from unions, backed up by industry consultants, that outsourcing plans will see up to three times that number of jobs transferred out of the agency into the private sector by 2014. More likely however is that he hasn’t a clue as to the actual situation.

The fact that this 'rationalisation' is being steered by transport minister Mike Penning, who last month announced the demise of the Swansea Coastguard service, seems equally lost on the hapless local government leader who is patently taking his brief from further up the food chain.

It is noticeable that the more politically astute Peter Black has so far stayed silent on the subject. The Lib Dem AM - and also a council colleague of Holley - has a reputation of being sceptical about employment changes packaged as good news. It’s a shame that none of his acumen has managed to rub off.