TWO senior Southend Council officers have been given redundancy packages totalling £121,000 in a bid to plug a financial black hole.

Under a senior management restructure, Sally Holland, corporate director for corporate services received £66,000 and Nick Harris, head of culture received £55,000 in redundancy payments after tax.

The redundancies come as the council struggles to make savings of £10.467million this year.

Ms Holland was second in line to the chief executive Rob Tinlin along with Simon Leftley and Andy Lewis.

She earned £117,656 and was responsible for finance and resources and council assets such a property.

She also headed up legal and democratic services, including electoral registration. Her post is now gone and her duties carried out by Mr Leftley and Mr Lewis who have both become deputy chief executives.

Mr Harris earned £87, 870 as head of culture, overseeing libraries galleries, museums and parks and leisure services.

His duties have been absorbed under the economy, regeneration and tourism department and new department, culture, tourism and delivery, will deliver major regeneration schemes.

Mr Tinlin said: “As part of our ongoing work to refocus and restructure the senior leadership team, and to prepare the council for the future, two senior posts have been removed from the organisation. This meant that two long serving officers took voluntary redundancy. Any member of staff who is made either voluntarily or compulsorily redundant is entitled to a redundancy payment, and this case is no different.

“All payments made are in line with the council’s normal severance policy and no additional discretionary payments were made.”

He added: “The senior management restructure is all about ensuring that we best plan and manage the resources available to us as a council and ensure that we can continue to recruit and retain the best calibre of staff in Southend, whilst encouraging the development of our talent to be ready to step up into more senior positions within the council.

“The restructure involves changing a number of senior management job titles, but does not involve any additional payments to those officers.”