Stroud District Council is considering reducing its workforce by 20% over the next four years in order to help plug a £3m funding gap.

The council warned it would be the first in Gloucestershire to lose all the grant it received from central Government and is facing a £3m hole in its finances by 2021.

A statement from the council said: ‘Increased income and more efficiencies are part of our agenda but a large part of our spending is on our workforce.

‘Consequently, we're looking at what a 20% reduction in staffing over four years means for us. We haven't decided this yet but we have to plan for more spending cuts as part of tackling the budget challenge.’

The council said it was also exploring how to generate new income, reduce other budgets and make prudent use of its reserves.