CONTROVERSIAL proposals to “privatise” the jobs of some council workers in Worcestershire have come under fire during a heated meeting.

Vic Allison, deputy managing director of Wychavon District Council, insisted “a drip-drip of redundancies” would happen if councillors did not act.

But Worcester City Council’s scrutiny committee labelled the idea “bizarre” and want jobs to stay in the public sector.

Wychavon District Council wants to privatise its revenues and benefits-shared service department.

They deal with face-to-face queries in the civic centre, but telephone calls are answered at the call centre in Perry Wood Walk, Worcester.

Talks are to start with private operators over a shake-up, but critics want assurances that jobs would stay under council control.

Councillor Adrian Gregson, leader of Worcester’s Labour group, said: “Your aim is to privatise the service and you appear to have a closed mind – why are you determined to do this?

“If you’ve got such a good service it seems bizarre to want to hand it over.”

Mr Allison said some work will transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions next year, meaning if “nothing is done” jobs would be cut.

One idea is to create a ‘centre of excellence’ at Wychavon where a private operator could buy in extra work for other councils.

“Rather than have redundancies why don’t we ‘in-source’ work and keep those jobs – it would be a genuine partnership,” he said.

Councillor Lucy Hodgson also said she believed any shake-up would affect about 15 of the Worcestershire Hub’s 50 staff.

Mr Allison also said if any deal “is not right” he would “look at other ways of saving money and jobs”.

The scrutiny committee agreed a motion asking council chiefs to “seriously investigate a joint public-private partnership rather than solely privatisation” of the service.

Councillor Neil Laurenson, from the Green Party, teamed up with Labour to approve the motion.