The number of top officer jobs at Telford & Wrekin Council is to be slashed by almost half under plans to save £2.1 million a year, it was revealed today.

Pay for remaining top brass will go from £118,000 to £109,000 in a restructuring plan for the authority to be led by a managing director, not a chief executive.

However, council chiefs today refused to rule out cuts in front lines services across Telford & Wrekin as they consider the plans.

Council leader Councillor Kuldip Sahota said the council could not guarantee to protect services as a new management structure proposes cutting senior managers’ posts to 13 from the 28 which existed two years ago.

The proposals, to be considered by the council’s cabinet tomorrow, would pave the way for the creation of a new ‘managing director’ role to replace the post of chief executive.

Mr Sahota said: “The cabinet has been clear that it wants a new structure for senior management that will help to further support our move to a co-operative council that is more closely connected with its community.

“The creation of a managing director post will be key to achieving this and ensuring that our senior management team reflects more closely to the co-operative council model.”

He added: “Due to unprecedented cuts in Government grants we have to find £40 million of savings by 2014 and are doing all we can to protect frontline services.

“This will save money that will help us lessen the impact of any cuts and protect local services.”

Council spokesman Nigel Newman said the shake-up would also reflect changes made since May to the work of the council leader who now has a much more prominent role with responsibility for all key council decisions.

It is proposed the new managing director post will bring with it a salary of £137,000-a-year, about £13,000 less than the chief executive role and 15 per cent less than the chief executive was paid in 2009.

The report also highlights a number of other changes to the council’s senior management team and recommends another four senior management posts are deleted while corporate directors salaries would also be reduced from £118,000 to about £109,000.

Bringing forward proposals for the senior management review was one of the key tasks for the interim chief executive Richard Partington on his appointment at the start of August.

The council would aim to begin to recruit to the managing director post as quickly as possible, if the restructure proposals are backed by the cabinet and at a meeting of the full council this month.

By Simon Hardy