66 council staff to quit jobs at a cost of £1.7m

MORE than 60 workers have taken up an offer to resign from Solihull Council in return for a pay-off as the authority continues to look for savings.

- SAM GREENWAY Local Democracy Reporter

It will cost around £1.7 million to pay off the staff - but will save millions in wages.

All council employees, except school staff, with three or more years' service were eligible to apply for the mutual early resignation scheme (MERS), which lets employees leave their jobs in return for a severance payment.

The cash-strapped authority employs around 6,000 people and the scheme was introduced as the council faced a multi-million pound deficit.

In February the council received confirmation its application to Government for a £48 million 'overdraft' in exceptional financial support (EFS) had been approved.