MORE than 1,000 council staff in Somerset could lose their jobs over the next three years as Somerset Council seeks to cut its wage bill by £40m.

The council has a transformation programme which is designed to streamline the delivery of services and generate significant savings for taxpayers.

The council launched a voluntary redundancy programme, which will close on March 24, in a bid to reduce a hefty bill from compulsory redundancy payments.

Decisions on which staff which lose their jobs will be taken towards the end of April, with the council hoping the reduction in staff will help avoid a  budget gap of more than £137m by early-2027.