Voluntary redundancy is to be again offered to council staff in Wolverhampton under the latest cost-cutting plans at the authority, it was revealed today.

It comes after 230 workers opted to leave in the last year on top of 170 the year before. But the cash-strapped authority has to save another £29 million in 2012/13 on top of £36m it had to cut this year.

Labour councillors are due to approve opening the scheme from December 8 until next May. A total of 450 jobs are going this year with speculation another 200 are at risk.

Human resources chief Councillor Milkinder Jaspal said today: “We have to make more savings this year and more reductions in staff numbers.

“Rather than compulsory redundancy we will seek voluntary redundancy and I am hoping to make the package as attractive as we can offer.”

The ruling Labour cabinet is due to meet on December 7 and will be asked to approve the re-introduction of the voluntary redundancy scheme on the same terms as approved by the former Tory-Lib Dem cabinet before it lost power to Labour last year.

It is planned all applications will have been decided by May 31, 2012. Councillor Jaspal said he could not put a figure on the number being sought.

Adrian Turner, from trade union Unison, said: “We’d rather people go by choice but we don’t feel that axing jobs is the way to regenerate this city.” The council has already axed 12 of its highest earning officers, scrapping one directors’ job and 11 chief officers.

It has been employing two interim directors on more than £800 a day each since February and has just extended their contracts to March 2013, on a reduced rate of £785 a day.