by political editor Paul Francis

pfrancis@thekmgroup.co.uk

Cutting 1,500 County Hall jobs will cost the taxpayer £14m in redundancy payments.

Kent County Council has calculated the costs on the basis of average payouts it expects to make over the next two to three years as it slims down the authority.

The sum could rise even more if staff who lose their jobs choose to opt for an early release of their pensions.

The details were disclosed to county councillors at a meeting this week where it emerged that the redundancy bill for 89 managers whose jobs are going has already cost £1m.

More than two thirds of the job losses are expected to come this year, with KCC saying around 1,100 posts will go in a move that will in time save tens of millions of pounds each year.

But county councillors have expressed concern the upheaval being caused by a far-reaching re-organisation of the way the council is run has sent staff morale plummeting.

A succession of members of KCC's spending watchdog committee said the uncertainty surrounding the re-organisation meant morale was low.

One suggested the authority had "bitten off more than it could chew" in embarking on a re-organisation at the same time as trying to save £95m because of cuts in government grants.

Cllr David Hirst said: "It would be fair to say that in the corridors and lounges, there is a certain amount of trepidation about this and fear that we have bitten off more than we can chew and are unable to manage it."

Cllr Richard Parry added: "From the conversations I have had with staff, this exercise [the re-organisation] could have been better managed. Two senior staff have told me morale has never been lower. This is from well respected, senior staff."

But deputy county council leader Alex King said that while staff morale was patchy, the authority was behind the worst.

"There are some areas where people are apprehensive about what might happen. Where we are now is past the eye of the storm and hopefully coming out of the hurricane. This is a difficult period and what is needed is to get through it as quickly as possible."

Amanda Beer, the authority's human resources director, told the committee that despite the upheaval, morale remained good.

"I am concerned members think that morale is universally awful. Every day I speak to people who are happy to work for KCC and are highly motivated."