David McMillian, chairman of Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership, last week said that he hopes the number of posts made redundant will be “kept to a minimum” and that staff will willingly accept the voluntary severance packages instead.

Mr McMillan said that staff have been kept informed and DGHP have been advised by a number of trade unions and employment specialists.

He said: “In general terms there is widespread understanding and support for the proposals. DGHP exists solely for its’ tenants. We have a duty to ensure we are delivering services in the most efficient and effective way and that rents remain as affordable as possible.

“We also need to make sure our business is flexible enough to deliver new services and to respond to change, such as the completion of our multi-million pound regeneration programme.

“It is only right that we take the time to review and re-focus the organisation to align resources with the demands and needs of the business and our customers.

“Last month’s meeting marked the start of the formal consultation process with staff and tenant representatives who now have the opportunity to input and comment on the proposals.

“We value our staff highly and whilst the proposed re-structure does unfortunately put some posts at risk of redundancy, we hope that through the consultation process and the offer of voluntary severance, this will be kept to an absolute minimum.”