Editorial: Job cuts tough but essential

REDUNDANCIES: The Rotorua District Council says it tried to retain staff where possible. PHOTO/FILE

It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

I'm talking about the difficult task to make so many people jobless at the Rotorua District Council.

Councillor Mike McVicker made the call last year that 50 jobs needed to go at the council if we were to make any headway into our ballooning debt. He wasn't wrong.

New hierarchy at the council, Mayor Steve Chadwick and chief executive Geoff Williams, promised change when they took on their roles and they have delivered.

While the council has for several months now told us the restructure would affect 66 full-time equivalent positions (even more than Mr McVicker's call), today we reveal for the first time what that actually means in terms of people left jobless.

Thirty residents of our city no longer having an income is a massive blow. Those 30 people no doubt have families, mortgages or rents, and bills to pay. It's a cruel blow for them.

But as we write out our cheques or deposit our funds online for our rates each quarter, we are entrusting the council to do their best with our hard-earned money.

If they think they can save $3.5 million on wages by working without those 30, that has to happen.

Mrs Chadwick and Mr Williams tell us their new-look council will be a leaner machine that will provide significant benefits to ratepayers.

We are expecting that doesn't equate to a drop in service standards.