Oxfordshire County Council has sacked nearly 100 workers (Picture: Google Street View)

Nearly 100 council staff have been told they are going to be sacked just days before Christmas.

A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council confirmed on Wednesday 90 staff would leave the organisation after they were told at 12pm the same day they would lose their jobs in February next year.

A council staff member claimed it had caused ‘a crisis’ in morale. They said: ‘The restructuring process has caused people a huge amount of stress.

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‘Most were interviewed in October or November but are only finding out today if they will still have a job, just days before Christmas.


‘It is going to have a huge impact on communities and morale is on the floor. I am a long-term employee and have seen lots of these situations, but this is the worst.’

The council said the timing of the redundancies was ‘regrettable’

As part of a reorganisation Oxfordshire County Council has made £7 million of cuts this year and a further £50m in 2015.



The savings are part of a plan to slash £377m from the budget since 2010 until 2020, that will also see funding pulled from 31 of the 44 children’s centres in the county next April.

These latest sacking will be in addition to 24 who accepted voluntary redundancy and another eight children’s centre teachers who were already handed redundancy notices earlier in the year.

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The council blamed the timing of the announcement on a legal challenge brought by two parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

They secured an injunction to prevent the council moving forward with its plans, but their bid was dismissed as having ‘no merit’ by the Court of Appeal on December 8.

The dispute cost the taxpayer £910,000, the county council said.

The county council has said its plans for the shake-up of children’s services are well advanced and will ‘meet the needs and aspirations of children at risk of abuse and neglect’.

A spokesman said the timing was ‘regrettable’ but could not be delayed.

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He added: ‘Not only did this (court proceedings) prolong the uncertainty for our staff and further burden the public purse, but the court directed that the council could not provide staff with clarity about their employment.

‘This has been a very difficult process for staff, who have waited a long time for clarity.

‘The timing of the news is very regrettable, but could not be delayed further.’

The authority will stop funding universal services, with only the most vulnerable families offered support through a network of eight ‘hubs’.

Last month it also revealed the first round of successful bidders for children’s centre ‘transition’ funding.

Six groups will receive a total of £163,000 over the next three years, with more bids currently being considered.