Wolverhampton Council IT Changes Set To Save £769,000

Wolverhampton Council will be renegotiating software contracts and making staff redundant in a bid to save £769,000 on IT costs.

The news follows a reduction in the council’s government funding – according to the local authority, this has been decreased by £147m “in real terms.”

The ICT savings are just part of the council’s proposals to attempt to save £66.7m as it draws up its 2014/2015 budget.

“It is painful and difficult, but it is unfortunately necessary. We will manage through these difficult circumstances, [but] we have no choice but to take these measures in order to produce a legal and balanced budget,” claimed leader of the council, Roger Lawrence.

“More job losses are hugely regrettable, not just for the individuals who face losing their livelihoods but also for the city because many of these people live here and spend their money here,” he added.

Wolverhampton expects 1,500 jobs to be lost in total, warning this could actually be closer to 2,000, with 20 of these positions to be in the technology department.   

The budget setting documents reveal that it is hoped the largest savings will be made by cutting staff numbers in ICT support in “Leisure and Communities,” with four employees set to lose their jobs this year and a further three by 2019, leading to £294,000 in savings.

More changes in “Resources” will not only seeing staff decreases, the authority also aims to remove a desktop warranty agreement, explore cheaper corporate software, reduce the number of systems tools and reduce telephone lines. 

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