Job losses fear as enablement team is axed

The Community Enablement Teams work with, and for, people in local communities including voluntary sector organisations and partnerships, a range of community groups, new and existing social enterprises and parish, town and Shropshire-elected councillors.

Their role is to support people to take control of their lives, and to live in a place where they feel happy and safe, where they can feel a sense of pride and ownership.

A consultation process considering the future of the team has now opened.

Ludlow Councillor Andy Boddington said news that the team was being disbanded was a sign that 'Shropshire Council doesn’t support communities any more'.

"The move bizarrely seems to have the support of the cabinet member for communities," he said. "The decision flies in the face of a motion passed unanimously by Shropshire Council members on September 20. That called for a working group to review how Shropshire Council supports communities.

"The community enablement officers are one of Shropshire Council’s greatest assets. They do a huge amount of work in the background supporting us Shropshire councillors and town and parish councils.

"They support a wide range of community groups. Here is Ludlow, our community enablement officer has recently help steer towards becoming a dementia friendly town. We are shortly to announce a new youth project. We couldn’t have got that together without the support of the Community Enablement Team. We have no clue what will now happen to Local Joint Committees, which are managed by the Community Enablement Team – though councillors have an ambition to axe those also."

Councillor Boddington added there had been concerns about the future of the team for some time.

Fellow Ludlow East councillor Tracey Huffer put a motion to full council in September calling for a review of how Shropshire Council supports communities.

Councillor Boddington added: "After amendment, it was passed unanimously. Now we are left wondering what the point of that council debate was. The axing of the Community Enablement Team is not just down to the financial crisis. For some councillors and cabinet members it is an ambition."

Gareth Proffitt, spokesman for Shropshire Council said: "A formal consultation process with the community enablement team has now begun. Twelve people will be put at risk but they will be entered into the council's redeployment programme, and we expect that a number of those affected will find alternative employment with the council."