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| Middlesbrough Council to axe 600 jobs to save £22m | Middlesbrough Council to axe 600 jobs to save £22m |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Public services in Middlesbrough face a "nightmare scenario" after cuts totalling £22m were announced by mayor Ray Mallon, a trade union has claimed. | Public services in Middlesbrough face a "nightmare scenario" after cuts totalling £22m were announced by mayor Ray Mallon, a trade union has claimed. |
| About 600 staff will lose their jobs next year, leaving the council "on the brink", Unison said. | About 600 staff will lose their jobs next year, leaving the council "on the brink", Unison said. |
| Mr Mallon told councillors they faced a "grave financial position" and warned merely "trimming and slicing" services was no longer a "viable option". | Mr Mallon told councillors they faced a "grave financial position" and warned merely "trimming and slicing" services was no longer a "viable option". |
| He said job cuts were "unavoidable" as the town was being "cut to the bone". | He said job cuts were "unavoidable" as the town was being "cut to the bone". |
| But there are hopes about 300 of the staff affected will transfer to the organisations which will take over the running of some council services. | But there are hopes about 300 of the staff affected will transfer to the organisations which will take over the running of some council services. |
| Cuts to frontline services will amount to £5m, £10m will be saved by reorganising the council and a further £7m of "mitigating actions" have been identified to meet the funding gap. | Cuts to frontline services will amount to £5m, £10m will be saved by reorganising the council and a further £7m of "mitigating actions" have been identified to meet the funding gap. |
| The mayor recommended that the council rejects a government offer of a grant to freeze council tax and expects it to increase by almost 2%. | The mayor recommended that the council rejects a government offer of a grant to freeze council tax and expects it to increase by almost 2%. |
| Union demonstration | Union demonstration |
| Leisure centre opening times will be reduced and council buildings closed as part of the budget. | Leisure centre opening times will be reduced and council buildings closed as part of the budget. |
| Mr Mallon said Teesside University would take over the running of the mima art gallery, saving the council £330,000 per year. | Mr Mallon said Teesside University would take over the running of the mima art gallery, saving the council £330,000 per year. |
| "In my opinion, this is the perfect partnership," he said. | "In my opinion, this is the perfect partnership," he said. |
| Litter picking and street cleaning rounds will be halved, but the mayor wants the council to consider spending £15m on improving the condition of roads in the town. | |
| The council predicts it will have to cut a total of £67m from its budget by 2016 with up to 1,200 staff losing their jobs. | The council predicts it will have to cut a total of £67m from its budget by 2016 with up to 1,200 staff losing their jobs. |
| Mr Mallon said: "In the face of such severe financial reductions, the law requires that the council must still set a balanced budget. | Mr Mallon said: "In the face of such severe financial reductions, the law requires that the council must still set a balanced budget. |
| "Although this will result in cuts to services, as well as job losses, we must not become paralysed in moving this town forward for the future." | "Although this will result in cuts to services, as well as job losses, we must not become paralysed in moving this town forward for the future." |
| The government insists Middlesbrough receives more central funding than the national average. | The government insists Middlesbrough receives more central funding than the national average. |
| Trade union members demonstrated outside the town hall as councillors arrived for the meeting. | Trade union members demonstrated outside the town hall as councillors arrived for the meeting. |
| Janet Greig, regional organiser for Unison, said: "With hundreds of jobs under threat, together with the services those workers provide, it is truly a nightmare scenario for the future of public service provision in Middlesbrough." | Janet Greig, regional organiser for Unison, said: "With hundreds of jobs under threat, together with the services those workers provide, it is truly a nightmare scenario for the future of public service provision in Middlesbrough." |