SHARING senior health and safety staff with a neighbouring council could save York tens of thousands of pounds a year, a council report says.

The city's local authority has decided that instead of taking someone on to fill an open managerial post, it will share an employee with North Yorkshire County Council.

Ian Floyd, the council's director of customer and business support, confirmed the decision on Tuesday, in a move that could save the council almost £30,000 and help it meet stringent efficiency targets and cope with Government funding cuts over the coming years.

At the moment, the post of Health and Safety Manager at City of York Council - the head of a six person health and safety team - is empty and the department needs to find £25,000 in savings in the 2015/16 financial year.

A report by the HR department says that while it has looked into other options, the council has not found any other solution to the problem that will still attract "the right calibre of candidate" and fulfil the council's legal duties over health and safety.

In the new job sharing agreement, a joint Head of Service will be employed by North Yorkshire County Council under its terms of service, but will manage both York's six person team and an equivalent 14 person team at the county council.

City of York Council will pay 40 percent of the job's costs - around £26,000 - meaning it is set to save around £29,000 against the £55,000 it would costs to recruit and pay its own health and safety manager.

The report also says that sharing the Head of Service - a higher grade role than the previous head of health and safety at City of York Council, will improve the service in both councils' by giving them chance to share and developing best practice and will help York council meet its efficiency targets.