COUNCIL chiefs are under fire over a controversial move to a four-day week for Barrow's troubled refuse collection and street cleaning services.

Barrow Borough Council contracted out the service to private firm FCC Environmental last month under a seven-year deal they pledged would 'deliver a refreshed' and 'improved' service across the area.

But just last week, FCC warned 20 frontline jobs within the town's 54-strong refuse and street cleaning team were under threat as staff were put on notice of redundancy.

Now, angry employees have spoken out in a bid to set the record straight on the turbulent times behind the scenes at FCC.

But they place the blame for the changes squarely at the council's own doors.

Speaking anonymously they state: "Please do not blame FCC for all that is currently happening, it is not their fault.

"The blame lies solely with Barrow Borough Council. They are the ones who wrote the contract and specified the work to be carried out."

They added: "Try and understand how we are feeling at being told 20 of our jobs are now going.

"Where are we going to find work around here?

"Some of the workforce have already lost more than £100 a week in wages due to the changes, and we feel the public is being lied to."

Changes now set to come into effect under the new contract - which will see size of Barrow's team axed by more than a third - include no mechanical sweeping of Barrow's town centre at weekends, responsibility for the town centre falling to a single member of staff and no beach cleaner.

The move to a four-day week for the contracted services will allow a day for FCC to operate its Garden Waste Club for which residents pay an annual charge of £35.

A spokesman for FCC Environment, a Spanish firm which has its UK headquarters in Northampton, said: "FCC Environment can confirm that it is currently consulting with staff on the implications of the planned move to a four-day a week service.

"We can also confirm that these operational changes have been anticipated and planned for.

"As such, the company is confident of meeting its service based contractual agreements with Barrow Borough Council."

Residents across the town are now reporting backstreets clogged with litter and fly-tipped goods.

Keith Johnson, assistant director for community services at Barrow Borough Council, explained the service agreement within the new contract, which he claims will cost the authority £11.9m, was different to that obtained by Biffa Waste Services Ltd in 2009.

The previous service operated across a four-and-a-half day week, he added, while several firms had submitted a four-day model within their tenders for the new contract won by FCC.

Mr Johnson said: "This will mean that later this year some residents will see a change to their day of collection, but the message is that this council is fully committed to the continuation of a weekly household waste collection and a fortnightly household recycling collection.

"Over the period to 2020, the Council’s annual operating budget will fall by £2.7m.

"Elected members approved a package of measures aimed at achieving this extremely challenging reduction.

"In re-tendering this major contract, the council had to make savings, and there have been some reductions made in the frequencies that some parts of the borough are swept."

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