Title

HUMAN RESOURCES

Colchester to furlough staff

A council in Essex is to furlough some of its staff to limit the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

A council in Essex is to furlough some of its staff to limit the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Colchester BC will make use of the Government's job retention scheme to furlough staff who are unable to work and cannot be deployed to other service areas.

The council has estimated it is facing a financial loss of around £10m due to the crisis.

Colchester's portfolio holder for business and resources, Cllr David King, said: ‘Despite the recent welcome news the council is to receive a further £1.9m from the Government to help us deal with the immediate impacts of coronavirus, that aid meets only 20% of our likely losses this year.

'That is why we have made the difficult decision to furlough staff we cannot redeploy.

'This action, along with the Government's latest funding pledge, will help us mitigate some of the pressing financial challenges created by the pandemic, which have significantly reduced the council's income.'

HUMAN RESOURCES

Reimagining the corporate video

By Nick Eveleigh | 17 March 2026

A poem by a young Chelmsford spoken word artist became the foundation of a two-minute piece of civic storytelling to show what the city feels like as a place...

HUMAN RESOURCES

Croydon pledge after SEND overspend

By Joe Lepper | 16 March 2026

Croydon LBC has pledged to tackle a raft of problems highlighted in a review into its £16.7m overspend on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

HUMAN RESOURCES

South Staffordshire bucks national trend on planning enforcement

By Catherine Gutteridge | 16 March 2026

Catherine Gutteridge says South Staffordshire Council is standing apart as a positive exception by keeping up with the volume of reported planning enforcemen...

HUMAN RESOURCES

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

Popular articles by Laura Sharman