JOB cuts could be made in the operations department at Monmouthshire County Council (MCC).

A new staffing structure, approved by cabinet last Wednesday (19th March), means several managers, supervisors and administrative support staff roles are likely to be cut.

The council shake-up could see a reduction in posts from 170 to 149 with salary cuts and redundancies making a saving of £585,000.

Positions within the department would be merged into one role with a chief officer's salary cut to half of a chief executive's at £55,000.

Frontline staff including road workers, cooks, roadsweepers and grounds maintenance operatives will not be affected by the proposal.

Included in the new structure are also opportunities for trainee apprentice posts.

MCC is currently discussing the new staffing structure with unions and there is still a possibility the current structure could remain unchanged, but according to the report published by MCC, "it is inevitable that redundancies will be encountered."

Monmouthshire's cabinet member with responsibility for county operations, Councillor Bryan Jones, said: "The council is endeavouring to protect services to the public as far as possible.

"We are looking at alternative ways of service delivery but we have also looked at how we might maintain the services with reduced management and administration costs.

"We recognise the value that our employees bring to the authority but we have agreed a structure which will change the way we work without reducing the front line service".

Council leader Peter Fox said: "These things are never easy but the organisation needs to adapt to the changing circumstances."

MCC is required to make a reduction in salary costs after previous decisions made by the council for the 2013/14 and 2014/15 budgets.