Somerset Council restructure sees 290 redundancies

Somerset Council has made 292 members of staff redundant over the past financial year – with more than 80 of those being compulsory, it has emerged.

In April, 555 full time posts were cut from the local authority as part of a major restructuring exercise.

The move was made to stop Somerset Council going bust and to reduce duplication after five councils merged to form the unitary authority two years ago.

Unison said members were concerned about how some services would now operate while Somerset Council said it was protecting vital services during a "financial emergency".