Union warns of Sure Start staff cut threat

Sure Start projects will be put under pressure because of plans to
cut hundreds of posts in the Department for Education and Skills,
says the civil service union.

Efficiency cuts would mean at least one Sure Start worker being
made redundant from each of the government offices, said general
secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union Mark
Serwotka.

Administrative roles were likely to be targeted, which would in
turn undermine work carried out by front-line Sure Start staff, he
said.

The cuts are among thousands of civil service posts being cut as
part of a government efficiency drive being carried out by Sir
Peter Gershon.

But speaking last week at the union’s annual conference in
Brighton, Serwotka said: “We are all in favour of more front-line
resources, but to think you can do that by arbitrarily cutting the
back line without there being any effect on front-line service
delivery is naive.”