Dorset Council spent more than £1million in laying off dozens of employees in the past year, new figures show.

The council say each redundancy decision is made on the basis of "value for money to help Dorset Council manage its budget" in what are "particularly challenging" times.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities figures show 77 people were laid off by Dorset council in 2021-22 at an average of £16,993 per person.

It meant the council paid a total of £1,308,485 in exit packages last year – down from £2,452,023 in 2020-21.

This was below the £10,624,622 paid out in 2019-20, before the coronavirus pandemic.

The total spend on redundancy packages during the three year period is £14,385,130.

The average 'exit payment' was below the national average of £22,000 in the year to March.

Dorset Council said the cost of redundancy payments had decreased since 2019-20 - when the unitary authority was formed.

Councillor Jill Haynes, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Corporate Development and Transformation said:

“We can confirm that Dorset Council has paid a total of £1,308,485 in exit packages to 77 people during the 2021-22 financial year.

"This is much less than the previous year and significantly lower than the 2019-20 year, when six councils were brought together to create one unitary authority.

“The redundancy payments were made in line with staff employment contracts. Each redundancy decision takes into account value for money to help Dorset Council manage its budget.

"This is a particularly challenging time for the council’s budget as costs are rising rapidly and the council no longer receives general grant funding from central government."

The Local Government Association said councils across the country have been forced to reduce their workforce sizes due to budget cuts despite dramatic increases in the volume and range of services provided.

Andrew Western, chairman of the LGA's resources board, said councils have made lay-offs in order to manage their budgets and avoid further pressure on taxpayers.

Mr Western said: "Without funding from the Government to meet the pressure of an accelerating National Living Wage on top of soaring energy and other costs, more redundancies are likely, exacerbating the capacity crisis that is already acute in some areas and impacting the delivery of services to the public.