Hillingdon Council have insisted they have no plans to lay off staff as a result of the credit crunch.

A national newspaper article last week claimed that local authorities across Britian would be forced to shed jobs but Hillingdon have moved to quell such fears.

Nearby Buckinghamshire County Council is being forced to cut as many as 400 jobs but Hillingdon insisted that detailed forward planning and healthy finances will mean they will not be forced into similar action.

Tim Way, interim head of HR at Hillingdon Council, said: "The council currently has no plans to make staff redundancies as a direct result of the credit crunch."

Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, the union which represents council staff, said: "Already local councils are reporting huge increases in the number of people seeking help for debt counselling, housing advice and employment services.

"It is the council workers who deliver that, so it would be madness to chuck them on the dole."