A union has said it is "concerned" about a move to “fast-track” cuts, as almost all of the staff at Hampshire County Council have been offered the chance to resign.
All employees, except school staff, are being offered the option to apply to resign from the council in return for a payment, as the authority’s budget faces “immense pressure”.
The authority suggested the step has been taken to attempt to avoid compulsory redundancies.
However, the Hampshire branch of the public service union Unison say that the move has been made without any communication or prior warning.
A spokesperson from Unison said: "We’re concerned about this move to fast-track staffing reductions without any consultation.
“After a decade of increasing demands and well over half a billion pounds in cuts, staff are already reporting that workload pressures are affecting their physical and mental health. This will only add to the stress of those who remain and may well impact services.
“We understand the issues local authorities face, but staff and unions should be consulted, and pension entitlements and notice periods must be honoured."
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While all staff can apply for the scheme, the council confirmed that each application will be considered individually against a set of criteria and will only be approved if services can be “successfully” maintained.
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A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “In common with many councils nationally, our budgets are under immense pressure as demand and costs continue to rise in vital areas such as social care for children and adults.
“Because of this, Hampshire County Council is now returning to its core purpose and the delivery of essential local services. The resulting organisation will inevitably be leaner, requiring a smaller workforce.
“From 11 November until 29 November, staff are invited to voluntarily resign under the Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS) - a scheme that many public sector organisations have used in recent years, instead of redundancy - it gives us more flexibility, working alongside our staff, to make changes to how we work to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness."
They also claim that MARS is quicker and less costly to the taxpayer than a redundancy scheme.
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