A job advertised by the county council which says the successful applicant will need to make ‘efficiencies has angered a county councillor

Councillor Richard Udall, the chairman of the opposition Labour Group at County Hall, is unhappy with the advert for a project manager in children’s social services, paying in excess of £40,000 per year, because he believes it means there will be cuts.

The councillor for St John’s in Worcester said: “The job advert refers to helping to make efficiencies, we all know what that means in Worcestershire, it means cuts.

“The Conservatives are not only prepared to tax us more and reduce our services, they are now planning to hire a person on a high salary in order to implement even more cuts. If we have the cash for this job, it should be being spent elsewhere, on social workers, care workers and people providing front line services to be used by the public, not for yet another pen pusher who only knows the costs of public services and has no idea about the value of public services”.

Cllr Udall appealed for candidates not to apply: “We don’t need you in Worcestershire, we need people recruited for care work, providing services for public use, not employed to cut services and deny the public and the vulnerable the services for which have not only paid for but also depend upon”.

He also called for County Hall withdraw the advert for the job. “We need to change our priorities, from cutting services to once again providing services.”

Catherine Driscoll, Director of Children, Families and Communities at Worcestershire County Council said: “This role will support our improvement plans for children's social care in Worcestershire. We are committed and determined to improve the lives of children and young people in the county.”