A STRATEGIC director and two service unit head posts have been made redundant as Poole Council cuts senior posts in a bid to slash costs.

Borough of Poole is facing another stringent round of budget cuts and as committees consider £4.8million of savings, there is still another £1.7m to find.

And that is based on a 3.5 per cent council tax increase next year, which is the most the government is likely to allow, says the council’s acting head of financial services, Adam Richens.

Over the next six weeks councillors will be looking at where to wield the axe, council leader Cllr Elaine Atkinson will be making presentations at area committees, meetings with residents’ associations and businesses will be held and ideas sought.

“It will be really difficult for councillors,” said Cllr Atkinson. “That really is taking out services.”

Strategic director for children’s services, Anne Newton, who had been with the authority for four years, decided not to apply when it was decided to pare the top management team down from four to three.

Paying tribute to her, chief executive John McBride said: “Under her leadership the services have continued to excel. This is shown by the good results from Ofsted in safeguarding children and so on.”

The post of Clive Smith, head of leisure services, has been made redundant as has the head of property management.

Mr McBride said it was inevitable that there would be further job losses to come and other savings would come from pulling out of offices they rented, such as St John’s House, currently the home of transportation services.

With more than 50 per cent of the budget supporting social care for adults and children and that percentage due to rise, there are also pressures of rising homeless costs and welfare reforms.

“We really are trying to keep the money at the coalface as much as possible,” said Mr McBride.

“Our key responsibility is looking after people considered to be vulnerable,” said Cllr Atkinson.