SAVINGS of £1.2m a year could be made by a plan to merge the senior management teams of West Oxfordshire District Council and neighbouring Cotswold District Council.

Each council would save £600,000 if the proposal is implemented.

The proposal will be discussed by West Oxfordshire District Council’s cabinet next week.

Their counterparts at the Gloucestershire council are meeting tomorrow.

If agreed, the changes would come into force by next April.

The councils have shared the services of chief executive David Neudegg since 2008.

In a report published yesterday, ahead of the cabinet meetings, Mr Neudegg said: “Undoubtedly the strategy that we have pursued to date has been effective without causing major disruption to services and staff which has been evident in some other councils.

“However, to drive out any further significant efficiency savings, it will be necessary to commit to a higher degree of management and service integration.”

He added: “It is now considered necessary for the structures of the two councils to be aligned as far as possible in terms of service areas.”

The councils currently have four directors – two of these roles are already shared – and 17 service heads.

The plan recommends cutting the number of directors from four to three and service heads from 17 to 12, meaning some would run departments in both councils.

The departments earmarked to share heads are revenues and housing support, business information and change, legal and property services, customer services, environmental services, public protection and leisure and communities.

Planning and democratic services would remain as separate departments at each council.

A selection process for the new roles will be drawn up later this month and confirmed in December.

The new structures would be phased in from January to be fully up and running by April 1 next year.

West Oxfordshire District Council leader Barry Norton said one or two redundancies might have to be made but they could be at Cotswold District Council’s headquarters in Cirencester.

He added: “There would be no effect to frontline services for residents – it’s a review of management.

“This is an evolutionary move, rather than revolutionary, it’s no big bang.”

The move is expected to save £300,000 a year by 2015 and £1.2m by 2018-19.

The West Oxfordshire cabinet meeting is at 2pm next Wednesday at the council’s Woodgreen offices.