Somerset West and Taunton Council restructure 'could cost £6m'

Chief executive James Hassett and Lib Dem council leader Federica Smith-Roberts will work together at the newly formed council

Restructuring costs for a newly-created council could double after more people than expected took redundancy.

Somerset West and Taunton Council replaced West Somerset Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council in April.

Chief executive James Hassett said redundancy payments were likely to rise to just over £6m rather than the original target of about £3m.

Out of a combined workforce of about 550 staff, 191 people took voluntary redundancy in the last financial year.

The total cost of those staff exits was about £5.6m but Mr Hassett warned the figure could rise.

He said the "original figure based on the initial business case" was just over £3m, but a "subsequent report" raised those figures to about £5.28m as a "target that was being aimed for".

Mr Hassett said: "We've overshot that target, mainly because people put their hands up for voluntary redundancy.

"Overall the figure, I think, is starting to get towards £5.6m. However we also, on top of that, have an additional contingency with people, who are still eligible to go because of previous agreements, which will take it to just over the £6m mark.

"I think ultimately, people who were eligible to apply for voluntary redundancy decided to take that opportunity."

'Back on track'

He said there had been no limit on the number of employees eligible for voluntary redundancy.

"There was an acceptance that if people wanted to take voluntary redundancy, they could do - that's the way it was set up," Mr Hassett said.

He said some areas were affected by staff shortages, including parks and open spaces, the customer contact centre and planning.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, voted in as the new Lib Dem leader of the council last month, said it was "challenging", but they had a "plan to get it back on track".

She said she had asked the council for an audit to look at the "whole transformation process".