The merger of IT services between Kingston and Sutton councils will not lead to job losses, a union boss has said.

Majid Mafi, Unison branch secretary in Kingston, said Kingston Council had to face up to cuts to its budget, and save £30m over the next four years.

He said: “As part of our consultation with employers we have been told that there will be no job losses and that there are enough new posts for staff to fill.

“I think any reorganisation or restructuring must have some element of saving.

“Whether this will benefit residents or not remains to be seen and will need to be judged in the future once all changes have been implemented.”

The scheme, which came into effect earlier this month, will create jobs according to advertisements on Kingston Council’s website.

A project manager will be paid between £39,789 and £44,262, as will a service improvement analyst who will be hired to monitor the new system’s performance.

A business partner who will represent customers will be paid between £45,153 and £49,836.

Councillor Simon James, Kingston’s lead member for sustainability, said the council aims to get more of its services online.

He said: “We’re transforming the way we work to get the most out of every penny of public money while delivering what matters most to people.

“The idea is to provide a stronger service. When there is a major issue, say, a breakdown in systems, that IT resource can be deployed across both boroughs.”

Response times to IT problems will not drop as a result of the changes, he said.

Kingston Labour chairman Laurie South said: “We have to change the way we fund local government.

“That is really the issue that nobody wants to tackle.”

He said he opposed government “forcing” councils to join services.