DETAILS of job losses at Bradford’s newly-combined drugs and alcohol services will emerge later this week.

Consultations closed on Thursday between the union Unison and charity CGL (Change, Grow, Live) which was awarded the commission by Bradford Council to run the dual services district-wide.

Union bosses have been challenging CGL in a bid to protect 120 workers’ livelihoods and the service.

Lucy Harrison, Director at the national health and social care charity said on Friday: “Following the decision by the commissioners to amend the model of service delivery in Bradford, consultations with staff at the CGL service concluded today (Thursday).

“We will carefully consider the responses to the consultation before finalising any decisions. Data is currently being collated and we will be in a position to release it next week.

“We are working hard to ensure all staff members and service users are kept informed and we will be meeting individually with staff in the coming week.

“During this time, our priority is keeping the service running as normal and providing support to all service users and staff.”

Unison’s regional organiser for Bradford, Ashley Harper, said “the full picture” would be revealed later this week but added: “There seems to have been far more redundancy requests than CGL had anticipated. We will have the full picture then.”

The new contract combining the district’s drug and alcohol services came about as a result of a full review in 2015 which recommended the Council and local Clinical Commissioning Groups commission a single, integrated service rather than run 14 separate services which could make it difficult for service users to get to the right service.

A competitive tender process was followed and was awarded to CGL. A council spokesman said one reason for commissioning a single service was to remove duplication, the overlap of provision and better manage the complex needs of service users.

The council has insisted its main consideration was not budget related.

The chief of what was previously Bradford’s biggest substance misuse project has backed CGL as the best qualified to lead such a major change programme, despite regrettable job losses.

Jon Royle, chief executive of The Bridge Project, said the project had chosen to work exclusively with CGL and was currently working with its new partners to transform the system in line with the vision towards a more streamlined recovery focussed service.