Council to cut staff costs by 10%

The council has said there are tight financial settlements for years to come

A local authority says it needs to reduce staffing costs by 10% - with some of its 4,500 workforce to be offered voluntary redundancy.

Denbighshire council is consulting on plans to save an estimated £5.7m over the next two financial years.

It says council office accommodation could also be cut back.

Acting Chief Executive, Alan Evans, said: "We are doing everything within our power to minimise the impact on our services and our staff."

He added: "The situation facing Denbighshire is far from unique - other local authorities are looking at similar schemes.

"We need to be mindful of the tight financial settlements not only this year, but also in future years."

The staffing proposals are initially focusing on support services.

Staff are being offered three options: a reduction in hours, flexible retirement and voluntary redundancy.

The council has said it is also looking at reducing its core office accommodation, in the hope that it will result in more efficient and flexible ways of working, whilst reducing the costs of running buildings.

The council has said the savings are needed because of the financial settlement from the Welsh Assembly Government and the current economic climate.

A deadline of 5 January has been set for "expressions of interest", after which a review of the situation will be carried out.