THE creation of a single Wiltshire council next month will cost the taxpayer £5.5 million in redundancy packages.

Altogether 29 redundancies will be made when the four district and one county councils merge into a single unitary council on April 1.

The five employees being made redundant from West Wiltshire District Council will share a £950,000 redundancy payout.

Last July the implementation executive, which included councillors representing all five councils, agreed to introduce a redundancy package for staff.

It was decided that any council worker losing their job as a result of the merger would receive four times the redundancy package owed to them. A budget of £7 million was agreed. The amount offered is decided using a formula, which includes length of service, age, salary and years left to retirement.

The five being made redundant from West Wiltshire are Ian Gallin, acting chief executive; Ian Jamieson, finance director; Sharon Larkin, human resources director; Nicola Mathieson, head of legal services and Tim Darsley, corporate director planning and monitoring officer.

Jason McCron, spokesman for West Wiltshire District Council, said: “The county council’s bid to the Department for Communities and Local Government for unitary status included financial provision for any possible redundancies. It was always anticipated that a small number of senior staff would be made redundant before, or shortly after, local government reorganisation.

“So far 29 individuals are in the process of having their employment terminated across all five councils.

“The total cost across Wiltshire for this is around £5.5 million at present. This is within the financial provision set aside, and therefore there is the ability to fund any further redundancies that prove necessary. All payments being made are in accordance with the Implementation Executive recommendation on severance pay.”

The highest number of redundancies is at North Wiltshire District Council, where ten jobs are to go. Kennet District Council will lose six employees, Wiltshire County Council five and three members of staff will leave Salisbury District Council.

Allan Clarke, spokesman for Wiltshire County Council, said that by the financial year 2012/13 the council was forecasting savings of £18m a year as a result of the move to a unitary authority.

Cllr Jane Scott, leader of the county council, who was part of the implementation executive which drew up the redundancy package, was unavailable for comment.

West Wiltshire leader Cllr Graham Payne said: “It’s difficult to see how the county council can claim that they are saving money for the taxpayer when the redundancy costs throughout the county are £5.5 million.”