Cornwall Council Job Losses: Union Cites Government Underfunding

An announcement made near Christmas, indicating that over 100 Cornwall Council employees are at risk of losing their jobs, has been labeled a “devastating blow” by a union. These job cuts were revealed as part of an initiative to save £48.6 million, integrated into the draft revenue budget for 2025/26, which received approval in November, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The affected personnel are scheduled to undergo a 45-day formal consultation period, which is expected to conclude by April 2025. Unison, a public services union, attributed the situation to “chronic underfunding” by the central government. In response, the council asserted that “every effort” had been made to mitigate the impact on its workforce, while the government stated its commitment to providing “multi-year funding settlements” to help councils get “back on their feet”. Emily Gallagher, regional organiser at Unison South West, remarked: “Announcing redundancies so close to Christmas is a devastating blow to Cornwall Council staff and their families.” She further stated, “The root cause of these redundancies lies in the chronic underfunding of local government by central government.” David Harris, Cornwall Council’s deputy leader and head of finances, mentioned that he had previously written to both the former and current governments, advocating for more equitable funding for social care, children’s services, and housing the homeless – areas he identified as significantly impacting the council’s financial resources. A spokesperson from Lys Kernow/County Hall commented: “Every effort has been made to minimise the impact on employees, but, sadly, this difficult process does mean a small percentage of jobs may be at risk within the organisation.” The spokesperson added, “Where possible, we are restricting external recruitment, and will look at redeploying staff in suitable roles before anyone has to leave the organisation through redundancy.” The council employs approximately 5,000 individuals, making it the largest local employer in the county. A representative for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Housing stated: “Despite the difficult financial inheritance we have been given, we will get councils back on their feet, including Cornwall Council.” They continued, “We will fix the foundations of local government and [have] demonstrated this by announcing over £4b in funding at the Budget to help councils deliver key services.” The spokesperson also indicated that the government plans to enhance stability through multi-year funding settlements, by ending competitive bidding funds, and by reforming the local audit system.