THOUSANDS of council workers are being “kept in the dark” over possible jobs and services cuts in the wake of the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, union chiefs have claimed.

Bury Council plans to make £7million of cuts next year in the wake of the spending review — but it has yet to release proposals for where it aims to make the savings.

However, it has written to its 8,000-strong workforce to ask if staff will consider quitting their posts. Bury Unison branch secretary Steve Morton said: “We are very pessimistic because of the spending review. But the council has not provided us with any details relating to possible job losses or anything else. All communication is by rumour. We’re being kept in the dark.”

Earlier this year, Bury Council announced that it planned to save £7 million annually for the next four years in anticipation of the spending review. The news coincided with the resignation of chief executive Mark Sanders from his £167,000-a-year post which he said would ease the financial burden.

But this week, Bury Council stressed it was “scrutinising” the details of the Comprehensive Spending Review before releasing details of how it proposed to save money.

A spokesman said: “It will not be until the Local Government Financial Settlement is finalised at the end of November/early December when full details of the reductions that will directly affect Bury Council will be known.”

By comparison, neighbouring authorities in Greater Manchester have already put forward cuts proposals. But Councillor Bob Bibby, leader of Bury Council, said: “We have already announced that we plan to achieve an anticipated £7 million in savings for the next financial year in preparation for the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review and we will be examining in the coming months the best way to achieve these savings.

“Our priority remains to ensure that the council lives within its means and spends all public money responsibly.” The council confirmed it had written to its workforce over “voluntary severance” but said it had not set any target for the number of employees who might leave. Bury South MP Ivan Lewis said he was “concerned” that the cuts would impact on public services in Bury. But Bury North MP David Nuttall said constituents would welcome the fact the government was tackling financial problems.

Business leaders said the review could have a serious effect. Shahid Azam, Bury president of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “The cuts announced in the spending review will no doubt lead to a loss of some jobs in the town.”