NEWPORT council is expecting to lose fewer jobs than previously thought, the Argus has learned.

The council says it anticipates fewer than 100 posts would be lost in the year 2013/14.

Estimates had been made back in January of this year that 200 to 300 posts could go at the authority over two years.

Peter Short, regional organiser from Unison, said the figure is smaller than what was previously expected by the union.

Council officers provided the information in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the South Wales Argus to find out how many redundancies there would be as a result of the year's tough budget settlement.

It said: "Although the council cannot provide precise numbers of potential redundancies at present, it anticipates that as a consequence of continuing budget cuts, there will be a reduction of under 100 posts in 2013/14 - this figure represents a significant decrease to the number initially forecast."

The response says the authority's priority is to protect jobs in essential services and that redundanices would be a last resort.

"The council has been successful in limiting the impact on individuals and will continue to hold vacancies or re-deploy staff before it seeks voluntary redundancies," a spokesman said.

Mr Short from Unison said the union has been given the same information, and said previous information said there would have been more redundancies.

He said the union was looking to avoid compulsory redundancies, with the authority making strenous efforts to avoid them.

But he added: "We are very, very fearful about the coming years, bearing in mind increasing central government cuts."

"You ain't seen nothing yet, basically."

Newport council faced cuts of £7 million in a controversial budget for 2013/14 passed earlier this year.