Sandwell highways department to axe 28 jobs

Twenty eight jobs are to go at a Black Country council's highways department in a bid to save £1 million.

Engineers will be among those to go as part of a "re-organisation" of the service in Sandwell.

Government cuts are not to blame according to bosses, who instead said the department has been over-manned for years.

The council's neighbourhoods chief, Councillor Derek Rowley, said the authority has made all the efficiencies it can to the highways department, which has a £150 million a year budget.

He said there was no other option than to cut staff. "The positions to go are, in general, highways engineers, who work on our major capital projects. We believe that after this re-structure we will still have enough staff to deliver all the projects we have in the pipeline over the next three years."

A further two staff will be made redundant from bereavement services.