COUNCIL chiefs in Worcester are being urged to ditch proposals to privatise the jobs of community-based workers who act as the city's "public face".

As your Worcester News first revealed in December, the city council wants to outsource bin collections and play area maintenance from 2017 in a bid to save taxpayers £500,000 a year.

The move, which also includes parks maintenance, would mean 120 jobs transferring over from the in-house cleaner and greener department.

We can reveal that the proposals include hiving off the eight-strong Community Engagement Team which organises the annual Worcester Show, supports parish councils and assists the thriving 'friends' groups.

It is the first point of contact for 570 volunteers, offering input into activities like litter picks and helping the city's community spirit thrive.

Although no jobs are under threat, with the roles set to be transferred to whichever firm takes it on, the suggestion has sparked controversy.

The staff also manage allotments, operate the parish warden scheme and interact with people over tackling dog fouling, flygrazing and flytipping.

The team help organise around 350 activities each year including street clean-ups.

Labour Councillor Lynn Denham, who represents Cathedral, which has a volunteer-led friends group in Diglis, said: "The Community Engagement Team are already understaffed.

"These people who do the work with volunteers are absolutely fantastic and I just cannot see the commercialisation of their jobs working.

"These people are staff the community really get to know, from events in the parks to the gardening groups, litter picks, everybody who gets involved in these types of events knows and loves them."

She said it would be "an awful shame" if the positions were included.

The roles are no more than a handful from the 120 council jobs included in the outsourcing project, and the Conservative in charge of the department has admitted it may not go ahead.

Councillor Andy Roberts, the cabinet member for cleaner and greener, said: "It's our interface with the public - although it is in the original scoping report it's always been my wish that we should keep it in house.

"That's my view on it."

Under the Tory administration's plan the next two-and-a-half years will be used to draw up a service specification and hunt for suitable firms.

The £500,000 yearly saving is an estimate based on the kinds of figures similar sized councils have been able to achieve.