Half of councils cut jobs

Half of all councils across England have axed jobs in the past few months, and seven in 10 expect further redundancies because of the recession. A survey by the Local Government Association found that councils in the south of England were most likely to have to cut back on jobs as authorities were having to make ‘tough decisions’ to balance budgets and keep council tax down. Total council income is projected to fall by £2.5 billion next year, at a time town halls are reporting ‘significant’ uptake in their services.