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Opposition outrage at jobs north of the border
THE cost cutting strategy of exporting jobs out of the borough has brought Westminster council under new fire.
The Labour group claim the city council are robbing residents of employment opportunities by outsourcing almost 500 jobs, many of which are low-paid administrative positions to places as far away as Scotland.
They say jobs such as those for the call centre and housing office, should go to local residents, and not to people in other towns and cities who are likely to have little or no first hand experience of London, let alone Westminster.
The council says having offices in towns like Carlisle and Warrington, saves the taxpayer millions of pounds.
The 225 staff employed in the call centre from offices in Dingwall, Scotland, are said to have saved the council more than £500,000.
Of the 477 council positions not in the borough, 225 are based in Scotland, 35 financial support staff work in Warrington, 43 staff who carry out housing benefit assessment are split between offices in Carlisle and Blackburn, and the remainder are divided between Liverpool, Bromley, Coventry, Southend, Erith and Thurrock.
Labour group leader Paul Dimoldenberg said: “The loss of nearly 500 jobs from Westminster is bad news for local residents. With 10 per cent of the council’s workforce now working as far afield as Dingwall in the north of Scotland there are now a lot fewer job opportunities for Westminster residents. With fewer council staff working in Westminster, local shops and small businesses are losing everyday sales and purchases.
“In their rush to make cuts, the Conservatives have scored a spectacular own goal and Westminster residents and small businesses are once again the victims.”
The council says the savings justify the policy. Human resources director Graham White said: “By taking the bold decision to move our call centre to Scotland we have saved taxpayers over £500,000 in just one year. We have also saved more than £3 million through reletting the revenue and benefits service as well as the housing contracts. These savings work towards keeping council tax at one of the lowest levels in the country.” |
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