REDUNDANCIES could be on the cards at Copeland Council after a review of internal support services.

Staff reportedly received letters about the changes on Monday and trade unions are expected to be involved in proceedings as the plans go to consultation.

Councillor David Banks said at a Cleator Moor town council meeting that there will be “dramatic changes” at Copeland Council.

He said: “There will be some dramatic changes, some of which are overdue. We have too many people in some areas and not enough people in others.”

Copeland Council’s managing director, Pat Graham, said: “The driver for the reviews is to ensure teams reflect the new requirements of the changing organisation, and to ensure delivery of corporate objectives.

"Front-line services are not directly impacted by these reviews and the council is committed to avoiding redundancies through a programme of redeployment and training where possible.”

Coun Banks said he did not think there would be a big impact on customer service and the changes were “all about efficiency and upskilling”.

He said: “One of the positives to come out of it so far, is that it looks like there will be an increase in apprentices. Like Sellafield, the council has an ageing workforce so it’s important that we prepare for the future.”

Pat Graham added: "Copeland Borough Council is committed to providing the best quality services to its customers, both internal and external. In order to ensure that each service is being delivered as efficiently as possible, a programme of internal Service Reviews was drawn up which covered all Council Services.

"Front line services have already been reviewed, and in some cases re-reviewed through an ongoing programme since 2012. The current series of Service Reviews commenced last year and includes most of the internal support services.

"As with all of the reviews that have gone before, these are being undertaken in accordance with the Council’s relevant policies and in full consultation with the unions."