UNION leaders have rebutted claims that service users could feel the first positive effects of controversial " privatisation" measures as early as next year, writes County Council Reporter Beth Broomby.

In a drive to cut costs and meet demand for services, Cumbria County Council called in management consultants PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC) earlier this spring.

At their latest meeting, CCC cabinet members backed a number of PWC's recommendations for change including:

l Restructuring Cumbria Contract Services, which is responsible for a wide range of council work including care work, cleaning, catering, human resources and advertising.

l Selling off Premises and Construction and the Fleet Workshops - CCC departments responsible for council buildings, vehicles, construction and civil engineering.

l Investigating the possibility of transferring Cumbria Care to a non-profit making organisation.

Services to remain in-house include the fire service, special education needs, health and safety, and the libraries and archives service.

Although CCC leaders have given staff assurances about job security, pay and conditions, GMB and Unison officials have hit out at the proposals.

In a letter to CCC's chief executive Louis Victory, Unison warned only two per cent of members believed PWC's proposals would bring about service improvements.

Unison's Cumbria branch secretary Stuart Moules said: "Our members feel dismayed.

They want to get on with providing high quality services.

They want leadership that recognises the contribution they make rather than wanting to sell them off."

But CCC leader Coun Rex Toft said he hoped to see service improvements and cash savings begin within the next 12 months.

"We are determined to move forward as quickly as we can, particularly with those provisions that we believe will make a significant difference to service delivery such as ICT (information and communication technology.

We need to draw capital investment into CCC to enable us to respond to additional pressures and responsibilities that have been placed upon us," he said.

The proposals will be put to full council for approval on September 19.