27 October 2010 Last updated at 10:19

Newcastle City Council predicts 2,000 job losses

Up to 2,000 Newcastle City Council jobs are to go over the next four years in the wake of government spending cuts.

The Liberal Democrat-controlled council said it was faced with finding savings of about £110m between now and 2015 and had no option but to reduce posts.

A spokesman said efforts would be made to avoid compulsory redundancies, but wanted to be "honest with the public" about the scale of the potential cuts.

A final decision on how many posts will go is expected in December.

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The spokesman said: "The council recognises that achieving savings on this scale will be difficult without a reduction in posts.

"While the full detail is not yet known, it is estimated that the council will need to reduce the number of posts by up to 1,000 initially, rising to potentially 2,000 over the next four years."

Chief executive Barry Rowland added: "We are an efficient and well-managed organisation and we are confident that we have put in place the appropriate arrangements to deal with spending reductions in a measured way.

"We will keep our focus on improving the quality of life for local people, making the city safer, tackling health inequality and protecting and safeguarding the vulnerable in our society."

Unions are being consulted about the authority's proposals.