It's complicated.
We take a look at the first wave of redundancies at Somerset Council. There's some big sums involved! And are there really going to be five different sets of terms and conditions in one new authority?
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It’s complicated
Just two months into the formal existence of the new Somerset Council and we have news of the first round of redundancies. These are part of the cost-saving package anticipated at the time of the merger of four district councils and one county council.
The savings come by removing duplication in the new organisation. There were five organisations before Somerset Council was formed:
Somerset County Council
Somerset West & Taunton District Council
Sedgemoor District Council
South Somerset District Council
Mendip District Council
Each one had a CEO, a Finance Officer, Monitoring Officer and a series of board posts. Now with just one organisation, Somerset Council, there is only a need for one of each. No doubt with a senior person in support, but certainly not five of each as we had before.
When talking about redundancy, it is important to remember that technically it is the post that is made redundant, not the employee. Employees who hold a post that is to be made redundant should receive counselling and be offered other roles within the organisation before being asked to leave.