INVERCLYDE councillors have agreed a raft of potentially risky cost-cutting measures aimed at shaving almost £3 million off the local authority's funding gap.

Members of the policy and resources committee approved additional savings designed to reduce the 2024/26 revenue budget shortfall from the previous estimate of £12.58m.

A 'savings workstream programme', last used between 2009 and 2014 to deliver around £7m in savings, will be created which will 'largely focus on corporate cost reductions and income generation targets'.

A council report prepared for the meeting said: "Saving workstreams largely relate to a corporate aspect of the budget with targets based on an amalgam of adjustments/efficiencies and direct savings.

"This approach lends itself to multi-year budgets where not every saving can be tied down in absolute detail before a decision is taken to factor into the approved budget.

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"Due to this there are clearly risks and both elected members and the CMT (corporate management team) need to understand the risks as well as the benefits of such an approach when setting savings targets."

The workstream programme, covering income generation, procurement, energy, asset management, management restructure and digital and customer services, has a target saving of £2.5m, while other adjustments or 'softer savings' aim to deliver a further £421,000.

Two vacant job posts will also be deleted as part of the plans.

The council report said that there are 'no direct employee implications' from the proposals and although the 2024/26 funding gap would decrease to £9.65m, matters such as pay awards for this year and the local government grant settlement remain to be resolved.

A consultation on the budget process will take place in January.