Hundreds of staff at East Renfrewshire Council could be axed in an attempt to close a £26m funding gap.

Although the council has already found £37m of savings since 2012, it needs to find £26m more over the next three years.

One of East Renfrewshire's key proposals to save money is to axe 300 posts — a target the council hopes to achieve without compulsory redundancies.

Council leader, Tony Buchanan, said: ‘Millions of pounds worth of efficiencies achieved through more modern ways of working have already helped to offset the impact of the savings needed on frontline services to date.

‘However, with efficiencies already maximised in a range of areas, the scope left available to find more savings by efficiencies is limited.

‘We are therefore going to have to make tough decisions about where savings can come from during our forthcoming budget cycle.'

The Scottish council will launch a public consultation on Monday on its three-year budget to 2021.