Public-sector jobs are safe despite moves to save more than £1.5million from adult social care, Moray Council said last night.
The local authority said there were no plans to make staff redundant as part of a community care redesign.
The scheme was approved by councillors on Moray’s policy and resources committee earlier this week.
Members also agreed to fund two administration posts at £32,000 to help community care officers develop the cost-saving plan.
A draft business case presented to members featured a long list of the scheme’s anticipated benefits. The paper says technology will reduce staff turnover and improve the use of employees’ time, which will in turn lead to less overtime.
Teaching staff how to do more jobs will reduce the need for temporary and agency workers.
Risk assessments will lower stress and accident-related staff sickness levels.
More people will also be cared for in their own homes, reducing the cost of residential care. A council spokesman said: “To achieve this shift in balance of care at a time when there is no increase in funding, many members of staff at all levels of the organisation will require to fulfil new roles and functions within the proposed new operating model for community care.
“Subject to securing identified financial benefits, there are no plans to make any member of staff redundant.”
The plan is expected to save £355,000 in the first year and year-on-year savings of £286,250 until 2017 from the community care department’s £38million budget.
Committee member and SNP councillor for Elgin City South, Graham Leadbitter, said he agreed that the balance of care needed to be shifted to allow people to retain their independence.
He said he would be monitoring the new scheme’s impact on frontline staff, however.
He added: “As services are redesigned in any organisation, the rules can change and as a councillor, I will be following this very carefully to ensure that frontline service is maintained and the efficiencies are delivered through processes and management restructures.”
Unison’s service condition officer Linda Magill said the union had “major concerns” that staff would be placed under extra pressure to meet new demands.
She added: “Staff may not lose their jobs but we’re worried about them being put in a position where they are under enormous stress because their workload has increased in order to meet what is being expected.”