Up to 1,200 jobs could be slashed at Hampshire County Council as the authority looks to reduce its budget.
The council hopes to save £55m during 2011/12 after a 14.3 per cent reduction in its Government grant following the Comprehensive Spending Review.
But workers' union Unison slammed the proposed cuts, labeling them "a disgrace".
Unison general secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “This Government is robbing communities of hope for the future and vital services that people depend on. We know that workers there only found out about the job losses through word of mouth. Bosses should have the decency to tell workers the truth. There are alternatives. The government should come clean on the real impact of their savage cuts agenda.”
Council chiefs said the job losses were due to the £30.9m reduction in money given by Government and the £25.2m needed for social care services.
County Council leader Ken Thornber described the financial challenges as "unprecedented".
He said: “We have undertaken a comprehensive review of how the council operates and of all its services and we are now embarking on a change programme that is of an unprecedented scale. There can be no debate over whether or not we make cuts, the withdrawal of Government funding to meet the national debt leaves us without that choice - the issue is how we face up to these financial challenges.”
The authority is proposing to freeze recruitment saving £4.4m, slash 150 senior management posts, saving another £7m, and renegotiating contracts to save a further £10m.
And further cuts in communication, support and IT costs would save a combined £3m..
By March 2012 the council expects to have axed 1,200 full time posts, eight per cent of its workforce. Staffing costs make up 51 per cent of the authorities £715m budget, excluding schools.
Cllr Thornber said: “We have tried to do this in a way that minimises job losses and we hope, where possible, to achieve this through voluntary measures. But sadly there will be some staff who will face compulsory redundancy and we will do what we can to help them in terms of finding future employment and financial planning.”
