Worcestershire County Council to lose 750 jobs

Worcestershire County Council is waiting for more details about the government funding

About 750 jobs are expected to go at Worcestershire County Council over the next four years as a result of government spending cuts.

The council said the move was part of plans to save an estimated £60m to £70m over four years.

The council said over the past year it had not replaced empty posts and would continue to try to minimise compulsory redundancies "wherever possible".

Councils' funding was cut by 7.1% a year over four years last month.

Chancellor George Osborne revealed details of the Spending Review on 20 October.

He announced £81bn cuts to public spending over four years in a bid to reduce the budget deficit.

Further savings

Worcestershire County Council said it now estimated having to make savings of up to £70m over four years, rather than £45m over three years which it originally forecast.

The council announced 57 proposals aimed at making savings, including plans to cut £11m from children's services, spending less on public transport and changes to other services.

It said these proposals would help save about £43.5m, with further planned savings expected to be announced next year.

The council said it would find out exactly how much it needed to save following detailed government announcements on funding.

In the 2009-10 financial year, the government's budget deficit hit a record £155bn.

It has been estimated that the cuts will lead to the loss of 490,000 public sector jobs across the country.