BOSSES at Cornwall Council and BT Cornwall have defended a move to axe dozens of jobs despite having made a pledge to create hundreds of jobs by moving council services into the private sector.
The council formed a controversial partnership with BT to provide back office functions in a deal worth £157.5million over 10 years.
When the contract was signed the council and BT said that jobs transferred from the council to the new firm would be protected and pledged that 500 new jobs could be created in Cornwall over the lifetime of the deal.
However this week it has been revealed that 45 jobs have been axed by BT Cornwall.
A concerned employee contacted the West Briton this week claiming that 30 permanent jobs were being cut at BT Cornwall and that another 50 temporary staff were not having their contracts renewed.
They claimed that this could cause problems for the services which rely on the IT and back office functions provided by BT Cornwall and could affect frontline services.
BT Cornwall has confirmed that posts are being axed but said that the claims made had been exaggerated. Cornwall Council said that no frontline services are provided by BT Cornwall so there would be no impact.
And despite the grand claims made by the council at the time the contract was signed about jobs creation the council said staffing arrangements were a matter for BT Cornwall.
In a statement BT Cornwall said: "BT Cornwall has begun a formal consultation with a view to restructuring its IT department. A major investment in new state of the art technology and more efficient working means that 30 jobs will no longer be needed. We will be working hard to find alternative employment at BT Cornwall for those affected and voluntary redundancy terms will be available for those who wish to take it.
"There are also some staff on fixed term contracts, who were employed specifically on rolling out new software and new desktop equipment at Cornwall Council. It was always clear that these contracts would finish when the projects were completed. At present about 15 fixed term contract staff remain.
"The high quality of service provided by the IT department will not be adversely affected by the changes. BT Cornwall remains committed to increasing the number of jobs in Cornwall. Since it was formed in July 2013, it has already created more than 50 long term jobs and we expect to create further jobs in the years ahead."
Cornwall Council said in a statement: "BT Cornwall does not provide frontline services for the council. The authority has a contract with BT to provide back office services such as IT and payroll and the standard of provision for these services is covered contractually. However we will be working with BT Cornwall to ensure that the standard of provision is maintained. The details of staffing arrangements and the delivery of the contract is a matter for BT Cornwall and not for the council."
