By Alan Richardson

STAFF IN an axed Perth and Kinross Council department have been told their jobs are safe as the authority tries to claw back an anticipated £6 million budget shortfall.

The council’s corporate services, which deals with legal and financial matters, council property, IT and human resources are being scrapped after its executive director, Gavin Stevenson, quit to take up a role in Dumfries and Galloway.

A meeting of the strategic policy and resources committee unanimously voted not to seek a replacement, immediately saving £129,000 per year.

The 378 corporate services staff will be integrated into four remaining services, carrying out the same duties under different managers.

Council leader Ian Miller said the unions and staff had been fully involved in the changes and accepted them.

A further £67,000 per year will be saved after the resignation of education chief Chris Webb, another post which will be deleted after yesterday’s meeting.

The council faces a £6 million deficit in its finances next year and anticipates having to make £35 million in savings over the next four years as public finances are squeezed.

Mr Miller said, “This council, like others across Scotland, faces huge financial challenges over the next five years.

“We anticipated these challenges and have therefore been working hard to become a leaner, fitter and more efficient organisation.

“The changes we decided on today make good sense, both from the point of view of funding and in the quality of the services we are able to provide.”

He added, “While we must take every opportunity to achieve savings, this council remains committed to delivering excellent and improving services.

“The decisions made today were reached with that purpose.”

Mr Miller said planning in recent months means compulsory redundancies are not on the cards but stressed jobs may not be filled in future and the ultimate recourse of sackings cannot be ruled out.

He said, “This is unprecedented—no-one has been through this and certainly local government has not been through such harsh reductions in the past, but Perth and Kinross is better prepared than any other council in Scotland because of the work already done.

“I don’t envisage compulsory redundancies and we will take opportunities as they arise as people resign or take retirement where we feel filling those posts is not absolutely necessary.”

Mr Miller added, “We would look to redeploy anyone but at the end of the day, the ultimate situation is that if we can’t find a suitable post, it’s a fact of life that redundancy will be the eventual outcome, but we don’t envisage that happening.”