COUNCILLORS’ allowances should be reduced and a ceiling placed on senior officers’ salaries before jobs and frontline services are lost at Dorset County Council.

Those are just two of the demands made by Dorset’s GMB union bosses in a “budget” they claim is a viable alternative to the one voted through by councillors in February.

The cash-strapped council has suffered massive cuts to central government funding and could shed 500 jobs, close 20 libraries and axe school crossing patrols in a bid to save £55m by 2013/14.

GMB Dorset branch secretary Gary Pattison said his union’s proposals, which include halting controversial building projects, are necessary to achieve the savings required. The union is urging the council to back away from the proposed Purbeck Schools Review and a new library for Dorchester to save nearly £40m.

And they have highlighted £37m of uncollected business rates as evidence of income available from closer working between County Hall and the county’s district councils, which collect the charge.

The reward packages of DCC’s senior officers have been targeted by the GMB as a means of saving £650,000 by introducing a £50,000 salary cap.

DCC has announced that up to 500 jobs could be lost this year and in January proposed 24 days unpaid leave over two years as an alternative to shedding a further 155 posts.

“Our members are talking about real cuts to their income of about 20 per cent. If you’re talking about making that level of reduction to people’s salaries then senior managers need to bite the bullet,” he said.

But Cllr Spencer Flower, the council’s cabinet member for corporate resources, said: “I’ve seen this alternative budget. It just isn’t workable.

“You can’t use capital money to prop up revenue – year on year expenditure. While I sympathise with those who may have to lose their jobs there are people, like Gary, who don’t realise the sheer enormity of what we are facing.

“A ceiling on senior officers’ salaries and reducing councillors’ allowances would only scratch the surface.”