MP for Birmingham, Erdington, Jack Dromey said that West Midlands Police will be shedding 2,500 jobs as a result of Government spending cuts. Mr Dromey, who is married to fellow Labour MP Harriet Harman, raised the matter with Commons leader Sir George Young in the chamber.
A shortfall of almost £8 million is being predicted by council chiefs in Wolverhampton for next year.
An emergency motion to the current TUC Congress 2010 concerned the 26,000 redundancy notices at Birmingham City Council.
West Midlands Police is trying to manage resources in the face of spending cuts since the new Government has not ring-fenced law and order for special protection. West Midlands hopes a new programme of ten local policing units will help the force save about £50 million, or eight per cent of budget, over three years.
Advantage West Midlands (AWM) is one of nine regional development agencies to be scrapped and replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships. AWM employs more than 300 people in Birmingham with a budget of £200m for 2010/11. It is not known what potential savings will be made from the changes.
Councils such as Birmingham’s are being called upon to save money by sharing chief executives. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles urged authorities to consider sharing one chief executive with their neighbours, after funding for his department was cut by another £220 million.
The new West Midlands Police deputy chief constable David Thompson said it was “too early” to say what the force would look like in the face of massive potential cuts by the Government.
Nottinghamshire Police has recorded the biggest drop in crime in England and Wales, according to a new report. Forces across England and Wales recorded an average reduction in crime of 8 per cent – while the midlands force managed a 15% reduction in the past year.
A West Derby Member of Parliament has called on the education minister to visit areas where his cost-cutting policies will make the maximum impact. MP Stephen Twigg, a former schools minister, urged Education Secretary Michael Gove to go to Liverpool and explain the effect of his cuts on youngsters.
Birmingham City Council has been accused of waste after it was revealed that £46 million targeted to tackle unemployment in the poorest wards has helped only 170 people to find jobs in just over two years. When administrating the Working Neighbourhoods Fund, the council said when the programme began that 4,000 people would be found long term jobs.