Title

UNIONS

Council considers job cuts to fund children's services

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is considering cutting 248 jobs to help fund a £5.5m cash boost for children’s services.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is considering cutting 248 jobs to help fund a £5.5m cash boost for children's services.

The proposals, which follow an inadequate rating from Ofsted earlier this year, have been designed to help the council meet the ‘unprecedented' demand for children's social care services.

Stoke-on-Trent is also considering controls on all non-essential spending, the transformation of services, identifying new revenue streams and reviewing contracts.

Council leader Abi Brown, said: ‘The recent Ofsted inspection highlighted the urgent need to make children's services and protecting our vulnerable young people our number one priority. 

‘As a cabinet, we are committed to ensuring that improvement and investment in children's services go hand in hand, and these mid-year proposals will allow us to redirect necessary funding so that we can make this happen.'

In March, Ofsted warned children in the city faced ‘serious and widespread' delays in having their needs met and vulnerable children were not being safeguarded.

UNIONS

OBR warns pressures on council finances remain

By Sir Stephen Houghton | 13 March 2026

While the Local Government Finance Settlement represents a welcome step towards fixing local authority finances, the absence of long-term financial stability...

UNIONS

The turning point for early help: can April's reforms deliver the change children need?

By Martha Hampson | 12 March 2026

Martha Hampson says that with record investment and a new Family Help model coming in April, there is a rare chance to turn missed moments into meaningful su...

UNIONS

Rising to the cyber defence challenge

By Martin Ford | 12 March 2026

The landscape of cyber defence for local government has been undergoing an evolution. Martin Ford looks at the latest developments

UNIONS

How to tackle the challenges of 2026

By Paul Marinko | 11 March 2026

Local government has entered a time of unprecedented change despite continuing to face particular financial and service strain. Nonetheless, this round table...

Popular articles by William Eichler