Capping hits Haringey
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• Capped London council Haringey is set to slash am from its transport costs and cut its vehicle fleet by a third.
Transport jobs will be lost as part of the council's decision to axe up to 600 jobs across all departments.
A leaked financial report has revealed that the council may be forced to reduce its 23.8m vehicles bill by 21m.
Director of financial services John Pirrie confirms that Haringey "will reduce the number of directly owned vehicles, and in the short-term will probably fill in with contract-hire vehicles". How many transport jobs will go has yet to be decided, but Pirrie says the sector could supply many of the inevitable redundancies.
Some depots and specialist workshops will be closed, says transport division head, John Glenham, but there is only "a limited scope for savings" within his department.
"In real terms our costs are only 10% higher than five
years ago," says Glenham.
A final decision on cuts will not be made until the publication of a report on the council's vehicles, which is scheduled for September.
Similar cuts are threatened by Hammersmith and Fulham council, where a capping of £1,5m over 18 months is expected to result in the loss of up to 700 jobs.
Although the council has placed refuse collection in a protected band of jobs which include social services and education, the sector is targeted for 115% job losses. However, no drivers will go the losses will be "behind the scenes", says the council.
The cuts will be phased over an 18-month period, with the Government demanding savings of £546,000 this year.