Staff will be asked if they want voluntary severance at Dumfries and Galloway Council, which has agreed a redundancy scheme. The council has introduced this scheme in attempting to reach a savings target of £50 million over the next three years. Council leader Ivor Hyslop said that "tough times" required "tough choices". He added: "Our council cares for people from birth to death and provides critical services that mean our children are better educated and fewer people suffer poverty and deprivation."