MANAGERS have been appointed as the staff merger between West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council continues.

Some 16 service manager positions have been made in support of the chief executive David Clarke and directors Jason Vaughan, Adrian Stuart, Kate Hindson and David Evans.

Mr Clarke said: “The shared services partnership continues to make progress and I’m delighted to have the new managers in place to deliver further success. Their immediate priority will be to combine staffing teams and ways of working to develop the wide range of services delivered on behalf of both councils.

“This is no simple task, but I’m confident the managers will approach it with the professionalism and determination that is required.”

Appointments include Julie Strange as financial services manager, Stuart Dawson as revenues and benefits manager and Bob Hanton as customer services and communications manager.

Nick Thornley is leisure and tourism manager, Graham Duggan as community protection manager and Sarah Ward as housing manager.

John Greenslade is development services manager, Hilary Jordan is spatial and community policy manager, Steve Woollard is technical services manager and Ian Doyle is economic regeneration manager.

Councillors from both authorities took the decision to combine their workforces in July 2010 as authorities face Government cuts.

The partnership has so far identified posts with a total value of over £600,000 which are being held vacant pending their removal from the new structure.

Although the workforces are being combined, the two councils will continue to function as independent decision-making bodies for the borough and the district.