Council makes changes to save £1.7million

The programme outlines nearly 50 projects that will create the bulk of the financial savings.

These include areas such as joint working with other authorities and organisations, reducing administration costs, moving staff from Beeching Road to the main town hall complex, and altering the way the council transacts with its customers.

The programme also includes expressions of interest from 32 members of staff to take voluntary redundancy. This will create a minor restructuring of the officer establishment, with the number of heads of service reduced by two.

RDC has pledged there will be no compulsory redundancies at the authority, which already has the lowest staffing level of any local authority in East Sussex.

Although the council will not be cutting front-line services, members of the public are being told to expect some services to be delivered differently in light of the changes being made.

RDC’s chief executive, Derek Stevens, said: “Owing to the steps which council agreed to take well before the nature of the government settlement became clear, the council continues to be in reasonable health to ride out this period of uncertainty.

“The resetting exercise has, at its heart, not just the need to reduce costs, but will reshape the organisation to make it fitter and stronger for the future.”