Bath and North East Somerset Council pays redundancy costs of £4.75m

More than 130 people have left a local authority this year, leading to redundancy payments totalling £4.75m.

It is part of plans by Bath and North East Somerset (Banes) Council to cut its wages bill and preserve frontline services and jobs.

Some 300 full-time equivalent jobs - or 15% - are to go from the workforce of 2,000.

Two-thirds of the positions are being cut this financial year, with the rest happening as soon as possible.

'Difficult to replace'

The redundancies will cost the council £4.75m over two years but will save it £4.28m a year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Some staff cannot volunteer for redundancy and have been excluded from the savings targets because they work on the frontline, or will be difficult to replace.

These include social workers, refuse collectors, Avon Pension Fund staff, apprentices, crematorium assistants, security staff, those working on the modern libraries review, and frontline staff in heritage services.

At senior management level, one strategic director post has gone so far, along with two divisional director roles and seven heads of service.

They will receive £928,000 in redundancy payouts over two years and the council will save £836,000 a year.