CUTS to services supporting some of Waltham Forest’s most vulnerable residents have been proposed along with further job losses as the council continues to deal with an unprecedented cut in funding.

A total of 586 posts will go under plans to restructure a number of departments, as part of a fourth phase of efficiency measures aimed at saving £4.45 million.

The council hopes to create 377 new positions, which will see current staff invited to re-apply for their jobs and roles expanded as the authority strives to maintain frontline services.

In a move which is likely to anger unions, the council also plans to reduce the notice period given to staff who lose their jobs.

Currently all workers are given 12 weeks notice, but the new system will see this reduced to one week for those employed for two years or less.

The majority of posts under threat are currently funded by specific grants.

It is currently not clear which grants will survive government austerity measures and the latest plan assumes a worst case scenario.

But the proposal warns that the council is already preparing a fifth phase of savings and more cuts may be needed as the authority attempts to save £65 million over the course of the current administration.

The department hardest hit by the proposed restructuring is Children & Young People Services, with 94 jobs lost.

This includes the loss of two social work assistants within Adolescent Support Team, which helps children to stay out of care.

A council report warns that money must be found to continue this work as the cost of placing more children into care could put other areas, such as child protection, at risk.

The plan could also see the Youth Offending team, which works to prevent children becoming involved in crime, cut from 24 staff to 12.

The council is also proposing to close the Waltham Forest Direct branches in Chingford, Leyton and Leytonstone, as part of a shake-up of Revenues & Benefits Services.

Public sector union UNISON estimates that 600 council jobs are currently under threat.

Branch secretary Dave Knight said: "We're very unhappy about the proposals - a lot of our members stand to lose their jobs and frontline services will be badly hit if it is all voted through.

"On a national level we believe there are different ways of raising money, and on the council level we think they should look at other areas to make savings, such as with senior management wages and the amount spent on consultants.

"The impact these proposals could have doesn't bear thinking about. For example if the youth offending team has its staff cut then we could have youth offending going up across the borough and more gang problems.

"We will be lobbying councillors in the coming weeks and we have to hope that they will send back these proposals and ask for them to be changed."

Conservative opposition leader Cllr Matt Davis said: "Overall this is piecemeal salami-slicing that does not appear to be properly thought through.

"There are good things in this report such as the move towards a flatter management structure, and it's good that [council leader] Cllr Chris Robbins is finally facing up to the financial reality caused by 13 years of incompetence by his party's Government.

"But there's an awful lot of other things which could be done, for example by reducing the amount paid to senior officers which is currently very hard to justify."

A 90-day consultation period on the proposals is due to end on February 28.

Staff losing their jobs will be informed in mid-April.

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