Essex County Council is advertising through Capita (HR has been outsourced) loads of Finance and Social worker posts (both also outsourced).

Still waiting for the ax to fall across my neck.

Colleague's spouse (working for a small engineering firm for 26 years) was just laid off 2 days with on warning and no redundancy, except what UK will provide out of the company liquidation. Owner of company has been paying himself more and more in last 3 years and last year transferred the building into his pension package. Supposedly it cannot be touched.

Dirty dealing to my mind.