HEAD teachers could be AXED in primary schools across Inverclyde under a grim list of swingeing spending cut proposals set to go before councillors.

Cash-strapped Municipal Buildings bosses are wrestling with a massive £15.3 million hole in local authority finances — and £7m worth of savings must be agreed next February.

A proposal to introduce ‘shared headships’ in the district’s primaries is among a range of stark options identified by officials to slash schools’ spending by £5.2m.

Other startling money-saving choices include suggestions to close Whinhill Golf Course and shut the Kirn Drive civic amenity site and depot in Gourock.

Two of Inverclyde’s seven public toilets could also close amid wider proposed environment savings which also include cuts to street cleansing and grounds maintenance.

But the local authority today emphasised that no cuts will be made until after the people of Inverclyde have their say on the proposals.

A council spokesman said: “The intention is that this ‘long list’ of budget savings proposals would be put out to a wide public consultation from the end of November.

“Given the scale of the funding gap it is crucial that residents and anyone with an interest has their say.” Frontline community health and care services could be in the firing line in the budget process, with the prospect of the loss of more than 12 full-time jobs.

A ‘risk summary’ on a council paper highlighting adult respite budgets warns that there would be an ‘impact’ upon individual service users and their families.

As well as proposed reductions in the number of primary school head teachers, the number of children getting free transport to school could be reduced, the free swimming scheme could be scrapped and swimming lessons for P6 pupils are also under threat, including stopping P6 swimming lessons, fruit for schools, adjusting a school staffing ‘formula’, stopping Saturday music clubs and slashing an events management budget A total of £10m worth of proposed savings — made up of £5.2m for education, £2.8m in health and care and £1.9m in environment, regeneration and resources — will be discussed by elected members next Tuesday.

The debate at the policy and resources committee comes just before the council embarks on its huge district-wide public consultation to whittle the actual cuts — due to take effect in 2016/17 — down to £7m.

But a raft of further severe savings which are yet to be identified appears to be unavoidable in future years if the council is to plug its publicly stated £15.3m spending shortfall.

Chief financial officer Alan Puckrin, left, said: “Unless matters change significantly post 2016/17, the council faces continued funding pressures which will require significant cumulative savings to be delivered in the medium term.” In a published report for next week’s committee meeting, Mr Puckrin states: “It is recommended that the committee consider the (current) savings proposals and agree that these savings form part of the overall budget consultation exercise.” The local authority told the Telegraph today that no proposed savings plans have been decided.

Its spokesman said: “No decision has been taken on any individual item — these are budget savings proposals put forward by officers.

“After being put to public consultation the information gathered would be collated for councillors to inform the decisions they will need to make on the estimated £7m funding gap in 2016/17.” The council’s estimated deficit is actually £17.2m but next year’s 2015/16 budget shows a surplus of £1.9m which results in the current projected net deficit of £15.3m.

Local authority leader Stephen McCabe is anticipating a cut of £6.7m in the council’s grant from the Scottish Government in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

Councillor McCabe, right, said: “This is obviously a bleak outlook, and if we do have to make £15.3m of savings there will be significant impacts on council services and staff — and in turn on the consumers of these services. We will of course be lobbying the Scottish Government to try to secure a higher level of grant funding and the flexibility to increase the council tax.” The council has also announced that targeted voluntary job severance trawls will take place within departments ‘in order to deliver approved savings’.

Proposed reviews of youth club provision, community support and libraries are also to be discussed, alongside a ‘full service redesign’ in the education department — which would bring ‘moderate to high levels of risk’ for teachers.

The Telegraph told last month how the projected overall £15.3m funding gap represents = almost 10 per cent of the net budget for all council departments.

Councillor McCabe told a recent meeting into the budget crisis that the authority faces an ‘enormous challenge’ to balance its books.