Manchester children’s boss quits as town hall cuts bite

Manchester children’s services boss is leaving the city council. Pauline Newman will become the first senior manager to go since the town hall announced plans to axe 2,000 jobs.

Ms Newman, 58, will take early retirement after nearly nine years in her post.

The news came as town hall bosses formally approved details of redundancy packages for staff at a heated meeting of the town hall’s executive yesterday.

The council announced last week that all 12,000 workers were being asked to consider voluntary redundancy, across all pay grades and departments. Only teaching staff are exempt.

The authority needs to save £110m this year after being hit with one of the biggest cuts to its central government funding of any council in the country.

The M.E.N revealed yesterday that cost-cutting plans will include ‘significantly reducing’ senior management.

Ms Newman, who goes at the end of March, said she believed it was ‘the right time to leave’.

She added: “Following our positive Ofsted inspection at the end of last year, I feel I can leave with the sense that I and my department have achieved much in the last few years.

“It is clear however that the future will require further changes in social care and I think the time is therefore now right for a new director to take things forward.”

Council bosses have set a March 11 deadline for applications for voluntary redundancy.

They have increased the usual cap on severance pay from 30 to 36 weeks salary to encourage younger staff with long service to come forward.

Council workers over 55, including Ms Newman, can apply for an early retirement payment in conjunction with the severance package.

But the eligibility criteria means that the total cost to the council of an employee leaving must not exceed one and-a-halftimes their annual salary.

All staff will be sent letters explaining how much they could claim under the package.

Chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein said: “It still remains our priority to avoid compulsory redundancies if at all possible.”

Councillors clashed over the issue yesterday.

Bernard Priest, the Labour executive member for finance, said Manchester had become well regarded for efficiency.

He said the job cuts would not have been necessary had the government settlement been ‘fairer’.

He said: “We have a financial crisis on our hands that is caused by the unfairness of our settlement. We had anticipated it would be savage and serious but we’ve got money taken off us far beyond the average.”

The council said an appointments panel would be established to progress the appointment of a new director of children’s services.