Much as I loathe doing this on a Friday afternoon, here is a quick round up of the job cuts and other budget proposal stories of the day:

Unions in Southampton have voted against the council's proposals to cut pay for all staff earning more than £17,500. Unison and Unite said they would ballot members on industrial action if the council imposed the cuts by dismissing the entire workforce and re-employing them under new terms and conditions.

Meanwhile Northamptonshire Council has approved proposals to cut 900 jobs at as part of a £69m package of budget savings, the BBC reports. Councillors in Oldham have also agreed proposals to cut 800 jobs.

Finally, Moira Gibb, chief executive of Camden Council, told The Guardian today that she was "shocked" by the extent of the cuts having to be made. Around 1,000 jobs are expected to go in Camden and Gibb said no service was sacrosanct, even frontline social work.

Photo by Rex Features

Read the complete post at http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-work-blog/2011/02/ending-the-week-on-a-positive.html