THE man in charge of Southampton City Council's 10,000 workforce has defended his proposed job cuts.

Tory Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Cabinet member for resources, said the 128 jobs on the line were less than one per cent of the workforce, as half are vacant.

In an interview with the Daily Echo he said it was council policy to avoid redundancies at all costs.

He also hit back at calls from lower tax campaigners to axe more staff in a bid to halt rising costs, particularly in middle and senior management pay.

Cllr Moulton insisted the council wasn't a job centre, but that it could not afford to shed more jobs without scarifying services.

And he defended his administration's consultation on the cuts and promised those facing cutbacks that there was still time to change his mind.

Cllr Moulton speaks about the impact of the recession

Job cuts at Southampton City Council and reducing staff overheads.