Surrey likely to axe 40 per cent of careers and Connexions workers

Unison, which represents careers and Connexions workers in Surrey, was informed of the cuts by Babcock, the company contracted by Surrey County Council to manage the services.

The move will halve the number of teams from four to two covering the whole of the county.

"We are all aware of the challenges on council budgets, especially given the impending results of the spending review," said Chris Leary, communications officer for Surrey County Unison.

"But to slash young people’s provision for training, education and employment will do much more harm in years to come, and will completely overshadow any very short gains with the budgets."

A Surrey County Council spokesman said: "These are difficult times and tough decisions have to be made. The coalition government told us to make £6m of immediate savings and we had to prioritise the funding available to minimise the impact on our most vulnerable residents. We will not have a clear picture of our financial position until the results of the government's comprehensive review are known next month."

Earlier this month, the council reported a 25 per cent reduction for Surrey careers and Connexions services.