A MOVE to pay out £8 million in severance payments to redundant council workers in Worcestershire has been defended by a leading politician.

Councillor John Campion, the cabinet member for transformation and commissioning, says the county council has had to “slim down rapidly” to survive.

As your Worcester News revealed last week, over the last two years 610 jobs have gone at County Hall.

It cost taxpayers £8 million in compensation, but has led to a total saving of £33.4 million so far, once redeployment, non-filling of vacancies and the low-er wage bill has been factored in.

Coun Campion was cha-llenged over the figures during a full council meeting, with Labour claiming the redundancies were “handled badly”.

Councillor Peter Mc-Donald, Labour group leader, said: “The ways in which the dismissals we-re handled cost the council nearly £3 million in pension contributions.

Coun Campion said: “That’s not the case at all, we’ve had to slim down rapidly and quickly as an organisation over the last couple of years.

“I’m surprised the Lab-our group leader doesn’t want the staff who were unfortunately made red-undant because of this to get their pensions.”

He also said plans to cut £98 million from spending by 2017 means the council must become a “different organisation” and slim down further.

At least another 600 jobs will be axed by then, largely due to unprecedented cuts in funding from central government and demographic pressures.

Coun Campion, who is heading up a drive to hand services to new providers, said: “There is no way we can continue to be a direct service provider in the ways we have done in the past.

“This council has to become a different organisation because we have less money.

“The old model is not sustainable in the current financial circumstances.”

Some of the proposals for making savings so far include switching off two out of every three street lights, reducing at-home care visits and removing a £3 million public transport subsidy.

Council bosses are currently continuing to lobby central government in a bid to try and get a better deal for the 2014/15 financial year, before chancellor George Os-borne delivers his annual autumn statement in December.