AXING and reshuffling senior positions within Darlington Council could save the authority more than £3m.

A report to be presented before the next full council meeting on May 2 details how job restructuring, amalgamations and axing senior positions within adult services will shave £3.337m from the council’s budget.

The changes include merging the position of assistant director of finance with the head of human resources to create a single role which is expected to save £50,000 alone.

Major changes are also proposed for the people services department with the deletion of several senior posts covering the policy and commissioning of adult care services.

The report states that: “This will result in significantly enhanced accountability for the leadership and strategic management of commissioned services within the role.”

The suggested changes are part of the council’s ongoing savings programme and although cabinet members agreed them at a meeting on April 9, the full council must give its approval before they can be implemented.

Councillor Stephen Harker, cabinet member for efficiency and resources, commented on the proposals in his overview report which stated: “The majority of the savings would not have been approved in normal circumstances, however, given the council’s financial challenge they have been approved to protect front line services.

“The savings will deliver £2.252m in 2013/14 and £3.337m, following full implementation.”

* A report into whether the number of Darlington councillors should be reduced will be presented at next Thursday’s full council meeting.

The Local Government Boundary Commission launched an electoral review in March to investigate whether the council needs to make any amendments to its ward boundaries and the number of councillors serving each ward.

The Commission chose to conduct the review in Darlington because the borough has at least one ward – Faverdale – in which the resident to councillor ratio is out of step with the national average by more than 30 per cent.

The council conducted its own report which concluded that there should be a minimum of 50 councillors – there are currently 52 – and members will be asked to approve the findings at Thursday’s council meeting before submitting it to the Commission.