SEVEN jobs across two councils have been lost as an agreement to share further services gets under way.

Cherwell District Council and South Northamptonshire District Council share management in environmental services.

The councils will save more than £200,000 a year, according to the councils.

At this stage it is only the management of the department which is shared.

Staff carrying out refuse collections and street cleaning remain unchanged.

Cherwell’s lead member for clean and green issues Nigel Morris said: “We’ve gone a long away down the road of sharing structures and services between the two councils.

“But we can do more — so it makes sense to combine our waste collection operations in a move that will see overall savings for the two council of more than £200,000 a year.”

Environmental services is also responsible for recycling banks, bin deliveries, bulky waste and commercial waste.

The changes were made in two phases.

The first came into force last autumn when shared vehicles were used to empty recycling banks, collect bulky and commercial waste.

Cherwell District Council says in the latest phase two staff took voluntary redundancy and three vacant jobs were not filled.