Swindon Council may have to axe more than 400 jobs as it comes under pressure to close a £30m budget gap.

The borough is facing financial problems as a result of government cuts and the need for increased spending on supporting vulnerable adults and children.

In order to cope with these pressures the council has decided to dramatically rethink how it delivers services.

This has led to the introduction of the Swindon Programme, which has been designed to make services, systems and processes more efficient.

Deputy leader Cllr Russell Holland said: ‘Local authorities across the country are having to fundamentally change the way in which services are provided in order to ensure that they are sustainable for future generations.

‘This will include making more services available online and a greater focus on commercialisation.

‘The reality is that an increasing amount of money is spent on supporting vulnerable adults and children and we have to prioritise our spending on those who are most in need.'

As part of the programme, Cllr Holland warned that around 15% of the 2,800 roles within the organisation could be affected over the next two-and-a-half years, which aamounts to 420 jobs.

Cllr Holland insisted any reduction in workforce would be achieved through a combination of retirements, not replacing existing roles and working with staff to achieve efficiencies.

He continued: 'Our financial challenge is significant.

'Over the next 30 months we need to achieve savings of £30m.

‘This means that very difficult but necessary decisions will be made in order for us to continue to prioritise growing Swindon's economy and supporting those most in need.

‘Those difficult decisions will regrettably include reducing the number of staff roles within the council over the next two-and-a-half years.

‘There will be full consultation with staff and appropriate trade unions before we make decisions on any redundancies,' he added.