Whilst we are making cost savings..what about a reduction in the numbers of MPs and Lords.The House of Commons needs no more than 175 {English] members..indeed when i watch important debates on the "box" there are just a handful involved.The Scottish,Welsh and Irish can have as many as they wish..as long as i dont have to pay for them.Lords..say.. 100..a nice number.
Just look at the cost savings there..and the streamlining of the "business" of the house.

david, Barnsley, England

with this government's track record, this will result in the complete opposite of their claim, ie thousands of redundancies and no savings.

Reg Vardey, kettering,

I'm all in favour of efficiencies. I feel that council taxes are way too high as it is, and anything that can be done to bring them down is a good thing.

Roberto Maietta, London, UK

Please Hazel Blears, if you want to scrap any councils look no further than the profligate spending of the Lib Dem led St Albans District council in collusion with local Tories or the Hertfordshire County Council whose money goes goodness knows where and can't repair the local roads and scrap free travel for children going to faith (Christian and Jewish) schools

John Torchwood, St Albans, Hertfordshire

maybe Hitler has relations on our very own doorstep Samantha,Bucks,England,that´s the impression i get anyway! and if a council throws out the taxpayers money by sending police in riot uniform to a member of the publics home because the individual criticised ( per e-mail) the lord provost of dundee in the way he adressed our Majesty the Queen whom was on a visit to my birthtown then certain actions must be taken i.e. at least 1job loss. I visited a local newspapers chatroom in dundee to express my disbelief and started a so called post and became support from other ex pats as they were also schocked to hear which actions had been taken, merely while a taxpayer (56 year old ex-scots guards) criticised his lord provost and in no means abusive per e-mail. I was then even more shocked as the post was the deleted, i was then informed from other members free speech is not welcomed i.e critiscm of high manners etc, therefore we should start brushing our own front door before our neighbours

Dave Reid, Münster, Germany

Its a pity they cannot simply be sacked without any need for redundancy, otherwise I find your sensible approach of avoiding the need for payments to be a wise path.

Its a pity such an approach cannot be taken in London as well..

Nanos, Southall, UK

With close to 3 million people in Britain without work, any job cuts are bad news, even if redundancy payments are generous. I would have to agree with 'tally', there is far too much interference at community level from this inept Government and not nearly enough concentration on the bigger unemployment figure, the REAL one that is, when Incapacity Benefit and Income Support are brought into the equation.

Judy , Liverpool, england

2009, funny how that date keeps on coming up, oh i forgot, it's the date for the demise of this country, wake up people the EU coming through the back door because you have left it open.
Where is our fighting spirit, this has to be stopped. Our ancestors would be ashamed of our total apathy on the take over of our country, but Hitler would be proud. Are we going to let his 'daughter' Merkel finish what he started, you know she wants to...she's said as much?
If that doesn't fighten you into action, then nothing will and i really do despair for the future of this country. :*(

Samantha Jones, Bucks, England

Local government workers are entitled to very generous early retirement payments. Because of this even if large numbers of jobs are saved through efficiency savings the net cost will be huge.

A far better strategy would be to gradually manage efficiency savings by merging functions and departments across the Local Authorities concerned. Such change can be managed by natural staff wastage with little or no need for redundancies.

Gerry Lynch, Chichester,

This anti English government has wiped England off the map and is now going to wipe the ancient shires and counties off the map. England is no where land.
This government uses its phoney majority of scottish and welsh mp's to obliterate England.
The public must demand these non English MP's are removed from the house and a debate held between English mp's on the future of England and her shires and counties.

tally, Durham, England

I presume this means a reduction in Council Tax will be due. It's not just salary savings but final salary pension costs should be reduced. The government should go one more step and move local councils and themselves off these final salary schemes.

M Jeffs, Bucks, UK