Tough times for Mendip council
In a briefing by chief executive Stuart Brown, staff were told that over the next four years they would be facing redundancies and budget cuts.
Priorities for the authority were highlighted as supporting businesses, providing housing, helping those who are isolated in the rural district and helping to take the district forward.
But they face a 25 per cent cut in the cash it gets from the government over the next four years – one of the council's largest income streams.
Mr Brown, who took over the role as chief executive in May, said: "The reality of the position is that despite the savings we can make from looking at what we do and how we can do it differently and more efficiently.
"There is no doubt that further savings will be required in order to address the anticipated budget gap.
"Although we will have to cut back or reduce our services, we must continue to provide good customer service in all areas, and make it easy for our customers to access and use our services.
"The management team at Mendip are now looking at how we can create a council which is fit for purpose and financially sustainable and will need to ensure that we deliver the political priorities, impose savings, continue to provide the services we have to and ensure we have the support services in place to deliver everything we set out in our plans."
He added that while some services would be reduced and others stopped, it would be inevitable that the council would need to shrink in size, which would mean that it is highly likely that there will be redundancies over the next four years.
Staff changes will include a review of the management structure, including the Corporate Management Team and team managers, and the removal of the director for services post, which is held by Malcolm Williams who will retire later this year, and the possible removal of the vacant director's post, that was previously held by Stuart Brown.
The council is now discussing any plans with the public sector union Unison, and staff will be offered the chance to opt for voluntary redundancy.
It is hoped that some staff may have the opportunity to be redeployed into other areas of the council.
The plans, and any redundancies, are not yet finalised as the council is awaiting the outcome of the government's spending review in October to hear what funding it will receive.
Councillor Harvey Siggs, Mendip District Council's leader, said: "These are unimaginably difficult times not just for Mendip but for the whole of the public sector. We have some major challenges and tough decisions to make with what will inevitably be a lot less money.
"Local government has proved in the last few years that it can make efficiencies.
"It is important that local government nationally continues to run ever more efficiently so that all our tax-payers receive good quality services that are real value for money.
"The country as a whole must look at its financial situation, which means that local government cannot escape that same scrutiny.
"We have spent the past few years creating plans to make our services more efficient.
"These latest changes will be a step further in putting those plans in place.
"I won't deny that it's going to be a tough few years, but we have no other option but to look much more closely at what we do and how we can do it better."