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| Council redundancy costs nearly double in a year | Council redundancy costs nearly double in a year |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Cash-strapped Welsh councils have spent nearly twice as much on making staff redundant as they did last year, BBC Wales has learned. | Cash-strapped Welsh councils have spent nearly twice as much on making staff redundant as they did last year, BBC Wales has learned. |
| The cost of pay-offs jumped from £17.2m in 2012-13 to nearly £31m in 2013-14. | The cost of pay-offs jumped from £17.2m in 2012-13 to nearly £31m in 2013-14. |
| Council leaders defended redundancies for delivering short-term savings and longer-term efficiencies by cutting the annual pay bill. | Council leaders defended redundancies for delivering short-term savings and longer-term efficiencies by cutting the annual pay bill. |
| They also claimed the pay-offs were less generous than other parts of the public sector such as the NHS. | They also claimed the pay-offs were less generous than other parts of the public sector such as the NHS. |
| Discretion | Discretion |
| The figures reveal big variations in the redundancy bills of different councils. | The figures reveal big variations in the redundancy bills of different councils. |
| Councils have the discretion to set their own terms and conditions governing redundancy payments. | Councils have the discretion to set their own terms and conditions governing redundancy payments. |
| Blaenau Gwent says anyone taking voluntary redundancy has been entitled to a fortnight's pay for every year they have worked. | Blaenau Gwent says anyone taking voluntary redundancy has been entitled to a fortnight's pay for every year they have worked. |
| The scheme has been changed this year so that staff are only entitled to one week's pay if they are able to claim their pension. | The scheme has been changed this year so that staff are only entitled to one week's pay if they are able to claim their pension. |
| There are no definitive figures available on how many people have taken redundancy payments across all councils. | There are no definitive figures available on how many people have taken redundancy payments across all councils. |
| But BBC Wales has received figures from half of the 22 councils and they say their headcount has reduced by around 1,500 over the course of the last financial year. | But BBC Wales has received figures from half of the 22 councils and they say their headcount has reduced by around 1,500 over the course of the last financial year. |
| The Welsh Local Government Association, which represents councils, said around 10,000 jobs had been lost since October 2009 and another 15,000 - a tenth of all local authority workers - could go if discussions over council mergers went ahead. | The Welsh Local Government Association, which represents councils, said around 10,000 jobs had been lost since October 2009 and another 15,000 - a tenth of all local authority workers - could go if discussions over council mergers went ahead. |
| It said the pay-offs were necessary to help meet a budget shortfall of almost £900m by 2018 as councils "bear the brunt of austerity". | It said the pay-offs were necessary to help meet a budget shortfall of almost £900m by 2018 as councils "bear the brunt of austerity". |
| "Redundancies continue to play a vital role in helping councils to deliver short term cost savings and also longer term efficiencies," a spokesperson said. | "Redundancies continue to play a vital role in helping councils to deliver short term cost savings and also longer term efficiencies," a spokesperson said. |
| The Welsh government said it was up to individual local authorities to determine their own approach to redundancies based on the profile of their workforces and future needs. | The Welsh government said it was up to individual local authorities to determine their own approach to redundancies based on the profile of their workforces and future needs. |