Cornwall Council has warned that 280 jobs look set to go by the end of the financial year.

Formal consultation with staff began yesterday, as the council continues its “major reorganisation” in a bid to save £196 million over the next four years.

Of this figure, £31 million of savings have been highlighted in a draft budget as coming from the wage bill.

If this is passed by full council on November 25, the total number of redundancies by the end of the year will be 280.

This will add to the £5.5 million already saved following an agreement with trade unions.

Senior management has also, been cut, with the number of directors reduced from six to three.

Three new corporate directors – Trevor Doughty for education, health and social care; Paul Masters, for communities and organisational development, and Michael Crich, for economy, enterprise and environment, took up their new roles in April.

The number of heads of service was then reduced by eight in July.

Since then senior managers have been reviewing the structure of all services, in order for the authority to provide services “in different ways” in the future.

No appointments to new roles or notices of redundancy will be issued until after the council’s budget meeting on November 25.

Changes for public health, adults and parts of children’s services will not come into force until a later date, as the council hopes to bring in “greater integration” with health services.