TRANSFORMATION plans which the county council has said could mean the loss of 890 jobs could still save nearly £50m, councillors will hear today.

Last year, the council said an £18m project would lead to an end to 'salami slicing' of services and mean that more money could be invested after years of cuts.

Councillors at a special meeting today will hear more of what the authority has planned.

They will receive a presentation detailing what progress has yet been made on the programme and what governance arrangements are in place for future scrutiny.

Currently the council has about 4,500 staff, so a loss of 890 jobs could mean it loses about a fifth of its workforce.

Any budget implications will also be outlined. Changes are set to include streamlining the council and automating other services.

In council papers, it said it is hopeful of saving £49.7m, close to the £58m it said it was possible with the changes last year. It said at the time that £34m was the minimum amount it had hoped to save.

Future meetings on the plan will follow in April, June, July, October and December.

Much of the work into the changes has so far been done by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers. It will continue to work for the council.