ONE in six jobs are to be cut at Gloucestershire County Council over the next four years, a total of 1,000 public posts.

Top management will bear the brunt, with one in three senior management jobs set to go within months.

Reducing the number of group directors and directors by six – a third – is part of the first phase in a bid to find £5m in management savings and completely restructuring the way the council is run.

Leader of the county council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, says: "It's right that the changes should start at the top.

"As a first step we are simplifying management, reducing posts and introducing a new way of working to ensure a much sharper focus on residents' priorities."

Chief executive, Peter Bungard, said: "We need a new structure to better meet future demands. This new structure is more flexible, it will cost less and will help ensure that services are designed and delivered around the needs of customers and communities."

•The timescale for cutting back the top jobs is going to be swift, with consultations from January to March and the cuts being made in April 2011.