SUFFOLK: Nearly 1,200 jobs have been lost from local authorities across the county since the general election, according to a new survey from the GMB union.

The survey, using figures from the Local Government Association, shows that 1,163 fewer full-time staff are employed by councils across the county, compared to the first quarter of 2010.

The largest number of job losses, 919, has come at the county council – representing 5.2 per cent of its workforce.

Among districts, the greatest job losses came in Waveney, Mid Suffolk, and Babergh – while according to these figures the number of staff in Ipswich increased.

However during this period the revenue departments of Ipswich, Mid Suffolk and Babergh were combined into a single operation run by the borough from Grafton House.

That meant some staff who had been based in Hadleigh or Needham Market were transfered to Ipswich – and overall there was a total loss of 63 posts between the three authorities.

A Suffolk County Council spokesman said: “Funding available to councils across the country has been cut, meaning we have to save money on costs like staff.

“In Suffolk we’ve made significant reductions in senior management costs so that we can protect the front line as much as possible.”

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