NEWPORT City Council is proposing a five per cent council tax increase and cutting just one of its 17 highest salary posts - despite residents calling for a reduction in senior management in the authority’s own budget consultation.

The public has also called for the council to merge with another authority - something it has rejected - and to slash councillors' allowances.

More than 100 budget savings ideas are set to go before cabinet next week as part of the council’s 2015/16 budget, which is seeking to save another £10 million.

A total of £6,048,000 of new savings have been identified since the council received its provisional settlement from the Welsh Government, reducing its grant by 2.6 per cent to £210 million.

A city-wide budget conversation, which brought in 1,000 responses, saw four of the top 10 responses to how should the council save money relate to council staffing, pay and expenses. A call for a reduction in senior posts topped the poll, and a reduction in councillors' allowances in the top ten.

The council has proposed to reduce the senior posts in cabinet from 10 to nine and to remove an unallocated senior role in a bid to save £49,400. A few other staff posts that could be lost, including four roles in children's services saving £200,000, are largely already vacant.

A council spokeswoman said: "The council has taken action in recent years to meet these suggestions. It has streamlined its operations, resulting in reduced staff numbers. All staff salaries have been subject to a full review and appraisal."

Major changes, which have already been highlighted by the council, could include saving £420,000 over two years by changing library provision and saving £150,000 by transferring the Riverfront Theatre to a Not for Profit Distributing Organisation (NPDO).

Alongside the libraries review, a review is also being undertaken into the Newport Museum and Art Gallery.

Proposals could see its closure, with the collection moved out of the building and exhibited at temporary events with 13 full time jobs being lost.

Ideas also include reducing funding to the Newport Medieval Ship project by £83,000 losing two full time staff, ending council members neighbourhood allowances completely to save £25,000 and reducing the Mayoral events and services budget by £63,000.

Two thousand pensioners could be affected by a discontinuation of a grant assisting their council tax payments to save £160,000 and the youth service is facing cuts of £50,000 which could see three members of staff being made redundant.

The disabled children’s team currently based at the Serennu Centre could also see staff relocate to the Civic Centre saving £24,000.

The operation of the rising bollard system to access city centre roads could cease saving £23,000 and the council could begin to charge for the disposal of DIY or rubble waste at the Household Waste and Recycling Centre saving £40,000.

Funding of £68,000 could be cut from the bus subsidy supporting "socially necessary" bus services to areas of Newport which have limited access to commercial services.

The proposals will be open for public consultation from December 9.