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Councillors in Durham are to be asked to approve plans to cut the highest tier of management, and merge children and adult services.

The Labour-run authority needs to make savings of £172m by April 2017, due to reductions in the government grants.

It wants to cut expenditure on management by 30%, and the merger would mean the loss of one director's post.

A public consultation in 2010 found that people would support a reduction in such costs.

Councillor Simon Henig, leader of the council, said: "With the level of savings required clearly all areas are under review and reductions in management spend are being made at a faster rate than overall cuts.

"Proportionately, twice as many savings are being made from senior management costs as there are from front-line staff, a fact I am sure will be welcomed in these very difficult financial times."