Council job cuts to save £1.25m

About 50 posts have been identified for closure in a review of costs

A council is cutting about 50 jobs which it says would save £1.25m from its budget.

Redcar and Cleveland Council said most of the savings would come from leaving vacancies unfilled, but there were potentially a “very small number” of compulsory redundancies.

A spokeswoman said the authority was “facing significant pressure”, due in part to inflation and the “spiralling costs of supporting children in care”.

The impact on front-line services would be “mitigated as far as possible”, she added.

The move has also seen political assistant roles, which provide administrative support, being axed.

Further management of overtime costs and agency spending in 2024-25 would be expected to push the total saved up to £2m, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The spokeswoman said a review had identified about 50 posts from across the council which could be cut with the “deletion of vacancies or voluntary redundancies”.

She said: “We have had to make some difficult decisions, but the new arrangements deliver savings and provide greater budget certainty in the future.”