TOP jobs at Wycombe District Council are to be cut, as the council aims to save £2.4million a year.

Two of the four directors' jobs will go, and at the level beneath them, nine or ten of the 19 heads of service face the chop too.

The jobs that remain will change, and the new bosses will be appointed by January. Two cabinet members could also find themselves surplus to requirements.

Council leader Lesley Clarke said the council was top heavy, with 24 top managers and only 600 staff under them.

"We want to move to a leaner way of managing," she said.

The council's cabinet member in charge of the budget, Bill Jennings, said he expected to save at least £2.4m a year.

But he added: "I suspect at the end of the day we won't save anything on council tax, because as we save on costs our Government grant will be cut. The only beneficiary will be the Government."

The first casualty of the process, called Managed Change, was chief executive Richard Cummins who, as reported last week, is leaving the council at the end of August.

His successor will put the other changes into effect. Cllr Jennings said the new chief and two directors would be responsible for strategic thinking while the day-to-day running of departments would be given to the heads of service.

Plans are being hammered out now and though the directors and heads of service are being consulted about what is planned, numbers will be cut. Both councillors said the managers understood why changes were being made.

No one is being made redundant. People will be able to apply for the new jobs. If they do not get them they can stay at work on the same salary, but with reduced status.

Cllr Jennings said if any of the current four directors did not get a top job their future would be discussed, but he could not imagine that they would want to stay on.

"In which case they can negotiate a leaving package," he said.

This would be the same for the heads of service.

Cllr Clarke said: "People who are comfortable in their jobs will find they won't be comfortable. It is going to be a complete change in the way we work. But it is being done for our customers.

"This should have happened a long time ago. Management has spawned and we have to say enough is enough."

Cllr Jennings said the cabinet had no intention of clearing staff out at one fell swoop.

He said: "There is a human factor here. If you chuck everyone out on day one you lose knowledge and information which is really rather valuable. There are people who have worked here a long time and there is nothing worse than putting them out of a job when you know them well."

The council is already setting up Wycombe Direct, a new front office where trained staff will be able to handle most subjects without reference to any other department Wycombe Direct will be introduced in December.

Cllr Jennings said the combination of Managed Change and Wycombe Direct would make the organisation much more cost effective and efficient.