Leeds City Council ‘confident’ at-risk jobs will be safe

A paper earlier this year revealed that dozens of posts within the local authority were at risk because of EU funding being withdrawn next year, following Brexit.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which the government is setting up to offset the loss, will offer councils less than what they were getting from Europe.

A new report on the UKSPF, which went before senior Leeds councillors on Wednesday, offered no further update on where the affected workers stand.

But in response to a request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the council has now said it believes most of the jobs concerned will be kept on.

Most of the staff concerned work in business support and employment and skills programmes within the local authority.

It’s understood the matter is being looked at at a regional level, through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, with other councils similarly affected.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We are confident that the majority of posts currently at risk will be protected moving forward and will be subject to further executive board papers in Spring 2023.

“We will continue to engage directly with staff and the trade unions around any staff that may be affected once we have confirmation of funding agreed.”