TOP council jobs are being axed which could save up to £50,000 over the next 12 months. The cash will be reinvested in positions lower down the East Cambridgeshire District Council hierarchy in a bid to improve efficiency. The move by council chief execut

TOP council jobs are being axed which could save up to £50,000 over the next 12 months.

The cash will be reinvested in positions lower down the East Cambridgeshire District Council hierarchy in a bid to improve efficiency.

The move by council chief executive, John Hill, will restructure the management tier, bringing changes to the environmental health and legal departments.

In November, environmental health director, Stephen Clements, will retire and legal and democratic services director, Eleanor Hoggart, is being made redundant.

Senior manager, Alan Stevens, responsible for maintaining the council's headquarters, The Grange, and council depots will be retiring in May.

A decision was also expected to be made yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) on the future of the council's press and public relations service.

Under the new structure, the council's deputy chief executive, Cecilia Tredget, will take responsibility for environmental health and finance director, Alex Colyer, will be responsible for legal and democratic services.

The changes, along with others made over the last five years, means that the council's team of directors has fallen from eight to just five.

East Cambridgeshire District Council chief executive, John Hill, said: "The new structure means that we can redirect services from the top to the coal face and reinvest some of the money saved, by not replacing these particular positions, further down the organisation.

"We are making changes in funding terms and in other ways. For the first time we are bringing taxi licensing and liquor licensing into environmental services and when we bring all the changes together it should improve efficiency.