The financial outlook for one Scottish council has significantly improved, thanks to an efficiency drive.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has made more than £9m of efficiency savings over the past year.

The council was expected to save a total of £3.5m in the financial year 2007/08, but exceeded that by £5m. One of the contributions to the overall savings came from the sale of surplus assets, which brought in more than £2.5m.

D&G Council has recently completed a major restructuring programme which has changed decision-making and management arrangements.

The modernisation programme brought together new groups of services to replace traditional departments.