TWO senior posts at East Renfrewshire Council are being axed, saving the local authority more than £200,000.

The move sees Ian Maclean, Head of Environment for Major Programmes and Projects, and Frank White, Head of Health and Community Care, leave their jobs.

It comes as council chiefs try to balance the books after being told to make millions of pounds worth of savings.

A spokesman for ERC confirmed that Mr Maclean and Mr White will not be replaced.

He added: “East Renfrewshire Council, like all local authorities, continues to face serious financial challenges.

“We have always been clear that our workforce will continue to reduce and that also means a reduction in the number of senior staff.”

In October last year, ERC launched a consultation on its budget for 2018-21, outlining how it plans to make almost £30million in savings.

Proposals are in place to generate cash by increasing council tax, with bills set to rise by just over nine per cent across the region by 2021.

The Barrhead News can reveal the decision to axe the two Head of Service posts will give the council an overall annual saving of £183,000.

Under the rules of the Local Government Pension Scheme, both employees are entitled to access their pension early, without penalty.

In order to qualify for consideration of a restructure, business cases need to be provided for any proposals.

Business cases set out how long it will take the organisation to break even after the one-off costs of a restructure are made.

All ERC business cases must be achieved within three years, in line with the council’s agreed process for early retirement/voluntary redundancy.

The proposals concerning the posts occupied by Mr Maclean and Mr White sees this being achieved well within the parameter, at just under 18 months.