HUNDREDS of jobs could be at risk in a shake-up at Lancashire's County Hall.

Plans have been unveiled for a restructuring of Lancashire County Council’s Environment Department, which employs about 1,000 people.

Staff have already been asked whether they would consider taking voluntary redundancy, and more than 100 are thought to have already expressed an interest. But unions say they are “extremely concerned” about the development.

Full details of the plans have yet to be released, but a report to be presented to next week’s cabinet meeting said the aim would be to produce a “smaller organisation”.

It said the revamped department, which controls Lancashire’s roads, pavements and bridges, would be more “value driven” and have “greater clarify of purpose”.

The report said the proposals “will have an impact on individual staff and this can result in concerns by those staff adversely affected.”

Staff and unions are being consulted and a meeting was held on Monday.

Unison rep Elaine Cotterill said: “We do not know numbers of staff potentially at risk at this stage, but this is probably just the start of restructures with the budget cuts that are needed.

"We are concerned both from a staff and a service delivery point of view.”

The changes are believed to be connected to plans which would see Lancashire County Council working closer to district councils on highways issues.

Another report to be presented to cabinet said the current arrangements led to “confusion and frustration”, with residents given two phone numbers to call depending on the precise nature of their complaint.