PLANS have been revealed for 29 managers’ jobs to be shed as part of a shake-up at Lancashire County Council.

Bosses said the cull would save £1.2million from the budget for looking after elderly and disabled people.

But critics said they were ‘sceptical’ about how front-line services could be protected with such a large reduction in back-office staff.

It comes amid an ongoing protest by unions over new contracts for staff, with industrial action taking place since the start of August.

Conservative adult social services chief Mike Calvert said the ‘radical’ four-year programme would allow people to make their own decisions about their care, by giving them their own personal budgets to spend.

He claimed this would lead to a more ‘modern and flexible structure’.

As part of the changes, the amount of people given assessments by social workers will be reduced.

Coun Calvert, who represents Pendle East, added: “We are still organised in a way that reflects previous ways of working based more on organisational, geographical or bureaucratic priorities.

"This clearly needs to change.”

More than 9,000 of County Hall’s 30,000 non-teaching staff live in East Lancashire.

Carol Lukey, of Unison, said: “They are deleting some senior manager posts, and looking for voluntary redundancies. It’s not compulsory so far.”

Ms Lukey said she did not object to the changes. But Labour opposition group leader Jennifer Mein said the move would cost a ‘fair amount’ in payoffs to the managers.

She added: “It must be a very large department that can afford to get rid of 29 middle managers without it affecting front-line services.

“I am a bit sceptical.”

Councils across the county are facing multimilion spending cuts, and town hall leaders admit services will be affected.

Last week the Lancashire Telegraph revealed plans by Blackburn with Darwen Council to axe the jobs of one in three of its most senior managers