Antrim and Newtownabbey Council to furlough more than 300 staff

A Northern Ireland council has voted to furlough around half of its staff.

At a special meeting last night, Antrim and Newtownabbey Council decided that more than 300 of the council’s 650-strong workforce are set to be furloughed.

The plan includes full-time and casual employees,

Speaking after the meeting, Ulster Unionist Alderman Mark Cosgrove told the BBC that it was not possible to keep paying those staff wages.

“We are many, many millions in a cash deficit, but I think that we had to strike the balance between affordability and obviously ensuring that our colleagues who are being furloughed receive fair treatment,” he said.

“But also the 140,000 customers - our residents - shareholders of Antrim and Newtownabbey Council also receive fair treatment.”

Initially, the local authority announced that it was to shed 73 “short service and agency staff”.

The council then decided to temporarily defer a proposal to release 46 “short service” staff but said that it may have to review the situation again within the next two weeks.

The News Letter has previously reported that the coronavirus pandemic has led to a funding crisis for councils across Northern Ireland.