Up to 1,400 Croydon Council staff are likely to lose their jobs as the authority prepares to implement the deepest cuts in its history.

The council plans to shed up to 35 per cent of its workforce after claiming it can only survive by outsourcing many services to the private and voluntary sectors.

Hoots of derision from Labour councillors met Croydon’s ruling Conservative cabinet as they agreed the workforce strategy on Monday night.

An introduction to the strategy by chief executive Jon Rouse and councillor Sara Bashford said the council faced an “exciting future, with significant change ahead”.

According to the document that future includes transferring staff to private firms, social enterprises and joint-ventures and “rooting out wasteful processes, bureaucracy and unnecessary back-office and management costs”.

Speaking during the meeting, councillor Paul Smith said the council needed to stop talking about the workforce as one of its greatest costs and start remembering staff were one of its greatest assets.

His Labour colleague Stuart Collins said: “I want you tonight to tell me how it’s going to benefit the borough to see over 2,000(sic) of our staff lose their jobs to be put on the dole.

“How is that going to help the economy of the borough?”

Coun Bashford, cabinet member for resources and customer services, said although staff were valued the council had to look at the bigger picture.

She said: “We won’t be getting rid of 35 per cent in one go.

“Our workforce are our highest expense so yes, we do have to look at it and I think the people of Croydon expect us to look at it.

“If we didn’t we would be doing a detriment to the people that pay their council tax.”

Council Leader Mike Fisher said: “This is not about 35 per cent of our staff suddenly finding out they haven’t got a job.

“I think this is a sensible way of looking at the issues around a workforce strategy going forward.”

The plans come as the councils attempt to slash £70m from services over the next four years, in addition to the £60m of efficiency savings already made by the Conservatives since they gained control of the council in 2006.

Union threatens strike

Members of the council’s biggest union, Unison, are already threatening strike action over “bizarre” plans to cut their sick pay, overtime and annual leave to save £1.7m a year.

Unison branch secretary Laurie Pocock said he was disgusted the planned job cuts were not classed as a key decision, meaning they will not automatically be debated by the full council before being put into practice.

He said: “We will be lobbying the council about this at their next meeting on October 18.

“The whole document lacks clarity, it lacks facts and there is too much hyperbole.

“To have a three-year strategy for staffing levels and decide it’s not important enough to be fully debated by the council is outrageous.

“What we had (on Monday) night was not a debate, it was a 20 minute question and answer session and that’s not enough time to make such an important decision.”

Epicentre of cuts

Croydon Labour party leader Tony Newman said there were real fears Croydon would become the national epicentre of cuts if the plans go into effect.

He said: “These are savage cuts - this is not trimming budgets, this is the potential removal of a fundamental public service in Croydon.

“Croydon has the biggest workforce in London, and 35 per cent is the highest figure for cuts I have heard - it’s massive.

“It’s short-sighted not just because of the damage it could do to public services, but a lot of private sector companies rely on partnerships with the public sector.

“That includes cafes and sandwich shops right up to partners in things like housing.”