THE writing is on the wall for West Somerset Council's chief executive Adrian Dyer, who looks set to become the first casualty of a money-saving link-up with neighbouring Taunton Deane Borough Council.

On Monday, district councillors will effectively be asked to make Mr Dyer redundant in his current role in October, although he would continue to work for the council until March next year.

That would then pave the way for Taunton Deane's chief executive Penny James to take over the helm at West Somerset.

Alternatively, councillors also have the option of recruiting a new boss to take control of both local authorities.

An extraordinary meeting of West Somerset Council has been called to discuss the various options which are designed to save both local authorities money.

The two councils have been looking at the feasibility of sharing services and staff to cut costs, although each authority would remain democratically independent.

The findings were due to be reported back in October, but the timetable was brought forward and West Somerset councillors will discuss plans for a joint management structure on Monday.

The councils said the proposals were specifically designed to protect frontline services.

In a joint statement West Somerset Council leader Cllr Tim Taylor and leader of Taunton Deane, Cllr John Williams, said they were both fully supportive of the proposals on the table.

"By reducing the cost of senior management and by sharing service delivery, both councils can mitigate the impact of Government funding cuts on our frontline services that we know are so valued by the communities we serve.

"The chief executive will be key to shaping and influencing the proposals for joint management and shared services and by fast-tracking this one element of the project we are sending a clear signal that we believe the business case can be taken forward.

"In the meantime it stacks up in its own right by delivering significant savings to both councils."

But they stressed: "This does not mean we are merging – we are still committed to maintaining Taunton Deane and West Somerset as distinct sovereign Councils."

A report to Monday's meeting gives the option of Mr Dyer stepping aside from his role as head of paid services - in charge of staff - from October.

He would then be retained by the council until the end of March next year to ensure a "detailed handover".

Specifically, he would oversee the progress of key projects, such as the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, and the disposal of assets, including the sale of the former Aquasplash site and land off Seaward Way, in Minehead.

West Somerset would then ask Ms James to step in as its chief executive, subject to the signing of a legal agreement.

Her role as West Somerset chief executive would only become permanent if the business case for a joint management structure and shared services was approved by both councils in October.

If the business case is not supported, the joint role would be reviewed in May 2015, following district council elections.

However, if councillors are unhappy with the idea of Ms James taking over, a second option is available to allow them to consider recruiting a new, permanent joint chief executive.

Either way, West Somerset would lose it's own dedicated chief executive before the end of the year.

Taunton Deane councillors will discuss the two options when they meet next Tuesday, July 23.

The authorities have been working towards implementing recommendations from the management plan in April next year, with a view to formally adopting a link-up in April 2015.

They are also hopeful of tapping into a £9 million Government funding pot designed specifically to help councils save money through the sharing of resources.

Although West Somerset Council has enough money to continue providing services until at least 2015 its long-term future looks bleak, with experts from the Local Government Association warning the authority could soon become financially unviable.

Increasing costs and chronic Government underfunding have been blamed for the council's predicament.

If a link-up with Taunton Deane goes ahead, the salaries of all senior managers will be reviewed and further staff redundancies will be inevitable.