Oh dear. It really isn’t a happy time at Cheshire East Council, is it?

After all its well documented trials and tribulations – suspended senior officers, police investigations and reports of bullying – now dozens of staff with, according to the Guardian, ‘the utmost commitment’ to east Cheshire’s youngsters are at risk of losing their jobs following a £1.2 million budget cut.

Apparently, the future of around 140 employees is under pressure after Cheshire East announced it is set to redesign its children’s centres and prevention service.

Eight managers are expected to go by September, along with 21 full-time equivalent members of support staff – but with employees facing the prospect of reapplying for their jobs over the summer, around 140 out of 270 members of staff are affected.

How galling it must be for those children’s services workers to face a summer of turmoil and upset while the very same council is footing a bill of more than £150,000 on bringing in consultants to improve its ‘workplace culture’.

And I also wonder what those same under-threat employees will make of the news that Cheshire East is also planning to splash out more than £2 million sprucing up Tatton Park.

Plans include the creation of a new visitor information point near the main car park, which will provide ‘all-weather protection, seating and orientation to visitors on arrival’.

Other developments should ‘enable better use of the stableyard courtyard so that regular seasonal entertainment, such as outdoor theatre, markets and art events can take place’.

And a very enthusiastic spokesman added: “The plans will also help establish a long-term sustainable revenue stream to maintain the status of Tatton Park as a nationally-recognised heritage attraction and a flagship tourism venue for the borough.”

That’s OK then.

I suppose it’s a question of where the council sees its priorities lie and the answer now seems obvious: Doing up Tatton Park and spending money on ‘workplace culture’ consultants while cutting children’s services jobs.

As I’ve said before, you couldn’t make it up.

By our columnist The Fly in the Ointment