Councils' merger bombshell

7:11am Monday 12th May 2008

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A RADICAL plan to merge the entire staff and services of Worcester City Council with neighbouring Malvern Hills is being considered.

A confidential Guildhall document: Malvern Hills/Worcester City Partnership - Working As One reveals details of the unprecedented proposal, which would aim to save hundreds of thousands of pounds by merging the two councils' staff into "a single workforce" under "a single unified management structure".

The document - seen by your Worcester News - makes it clear the two councils would remain as separate political bodies, each keeping its own name and individual identity.

The democratic side of the councils would be unchanged, with two individual councils of elected members making separate decisions as they do now.

But the hundreds of non-political public service staff employed by the organisations - from street-sweepers to planning officials - would be merged into a single workforce.

Local union leaders say the implications for employees could be grave, with hundreds of posts potentially lost as the councils attempt to strip away any duplication of positions.

Almost every post, from the chief executives downwards, would potentially be under threat.

The plan represents one of the more extreme options available to Worcester as it looks desperately to make savings of about £1 million following the reduction in its Government funding earlier this year.

Conservative leader Simon Geraghty has made it clear over recent months that the council can only avoid making major cuts by sharing some of its services with other south Worcestershire councils.

Worcester's revenues and benefits department has already been merged with those of Malvern Hills and Wychavon, and other possible partnerships have also been discussed. The latest proposal, however, would signal an end to this piecemeal approach.

When asked about the document, Coun Geraghty was keen to stress that no decisions have yet been taken.

"There are a lot of reports flying around in terms of shared services," he said. "What you have there is just one of three or four different reports. I would not like to say which would be the final option.

"This is something we want to discuss with all the elected members; it is not a decision for one person or one administration. The question is how far down this road members are prepared to go. We are looking to set up a seminar next month so all the councillors can examine the full range of options."

Sharing services is seen as a realistic way forward for councils such as Worcester that are under pressure from the Government to make savings, but which have refused to take the cost-cutting step of merging with their neighbours into a large unitary authority.

Serena Croad, Conservative leader of Malvern Hills District Council, said: "This proposal is about trying to maintain both of our identities and continuing to deliver the services we do.

"We are trying to take control of our destiny and find a solution to the situation we have been put in."

Adrian Gregson, a Worcester representative of public services union Unison, said staff would be very concerned about the proposal.

"The only reason you go forward with sharing services is to save money, and you do that by getting rid of staff," he said. "Our members would rightly be concerned about something like this. And they talk about savings, but the fact is that making people redundant is not cheap."

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