QUESTIONS have been asked about Connexions' future and the decisions made by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Workers for the company, which provides youth services across Cheshire, fear it will go into administration by February 11 if its three funding councils do not help it meet the cuts that they have imposed.

But they are worried that one of the councils is spending money needlessly.

Connexions Cheshire and Warrington, funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC), Cheshire East Council and Warrington Borough Council, needs to make 90 redundancies to meet the new, smaller, contracts offered by the authorities.

But paying out the redundancy packages would force Connexions to go into administration, unless it can get financial help from the councils.

Questions are being asked after a CWAC meeting on Wednesday, February 2, when Clr Derek Bateman, the Labour group leader, revealed that CWAC is paying consultants for its children’s service at a rate of £1,100 a day.

This includes the appointment of a chairman on the council’s Independent Improvement Board, which is responsible for monitoring CWAC’s progress following a damning Ofsted report into its children’s services in December 2010.

All CWAC councillors have recieved a letter from an unknown source, which outlines the situation and asks 13 questions.

These include how the council can justify how it can commission a coordinator on £1,100 per day to help develop the new service and how it can pull the plug on Connexions, which gave the the council its only credibility in its last Ofsted report.

A worker for Connexions, who has asked not to be named, said: “We are all resigned that whatever happens we will have a trimmed back service, but at least that would mean there would be some service in place to build on again.

“But to wipe everything out will be horrendous, not just for the work force but for the people who rely on us for jobs and for our service.”

The questions: I will now ask the council and councillors to explain why and how can they justify: 1) Demoting a director of children’s services but on protected pay for three years at a cost of approx £429k in total?

2) Enrolling the services of the Halton director of children’s services at great cost I can only presume?

3) Commissioning a coordinator on £1,100 per day to help develop the new service (is Halton's director of children's services not capable of this doing this on his own)?

4) Not advertising the vacancy to the general public?

5) Pulling the plug on a service (Connexions) that gave the local authority its only credibility in its last damning Ofsted report Dec 2010, outcome inadequate?

6) Basically leave staff who have provided loyal and effect service to the authority over the years out in the cold with no prospect of TUPE or even redundancy or notice pay?

7) Leaving all of its 13 to19-year-olds and up to 25-year-olds with learning difficulties or disabilities with no indication of service or support until it sorts itself out?

8) Leaving vulnerable young people with no impartial advice and guidance.

9) Leaving the schools and colleges high and dry to try and sort out their statutory duties with no support?

10) The closure of youth clubs?

11) Leaving voluntary organisations with no support or venues to host their clubs/groups from?

12) Taking away the voluntary sectors chance of funding through the Youth Capital Fund and Youth Opportunities Fund, a lifeline to many?

13) Leaving a population currently going through tough times with regards to unemployment with no guidance on how to find a job or retrain?