Oldham Council staff to be asked to take voluntary redundancy

Oldham Council has said it will ask staff to consider taking voluntary redundancy, as part of a range of cost-cutting measures to tackle a funding gap of £30 million in the current financial year.

Town hall bosses say a £215 million reduction in government funding over the past decade, coupled with an estimated £20 million cost of the coronavirus pandemic, has meant that "difficult decisions now have to be taken to enable the council to continue delivering vital services". 

At the start of the pandemic, Oldham Council was told by the government to spend whatever was needed to deal with the impact of coronavirus.

However, the authority says the money it has received so far doesn't cover the amount spent in providing additional support to residents and businesses, combined with a substantial loss in income.

In order to close the funding gap, the council say from Monday (24 August) it will be asking staff to consider voluntary redundancy and a number of other cost-saving measures such as working fewer hours or "buying" additional holiday.

Cllr Sean Fielding, the council leader, said: "Everyone at Oldham Council and Team Oldham has gone above and beyond to ensure we have been there for Oldham residents during the Coronavirus pandemic. They’ve been there to collect waste and recycling, to take calls on our emergency helpline, provide emergency food parcels to those most isolated and more.

"Asking our staff to now consider voluntary redundancy is not a decision that has been made lightly and not what any of us would wish. However, we have to explore all options for saving money due to the scale of the budget challenge we face.

"I urge the Government to fully support our continued effort in protecting the residents of Oldham and ensure we, and other local authorities, receive fair funding in these most challenging of times."