Senior Dorset council officers will not receive huge redundancy payments ahead of the proposed merger next year, a government minster said.

Rishi Sunak MP, Parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said in parliament on Monday that there would be very few cases where officers will receive redundancy payments above a cap of £95,000.

The redundancy, known as the 'public sector exit payment', has seen senior council offices receive six figure redundancy payments.

This includes Tom Grainger who left his role as chief executive of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council in 2010 with a £228,000 pay-off as part of plans to form a close partnership with West Dorset District Council.

It comes after MPs including Christchurch MP Sir Christopher Cope asked what response, the ministry had received from Dorset authorities to the suggested £95,000 cap on exit payments from local government reorganisation in the county and whether the recent passing of legalisation would be enforceable on time.

Mr Sunak, said: "Redundancy policies are a matter for individual councils having regard to the contracts of employment into which they have entered.

"The Dorset councils have informally indicated their expectation that there would be very few cases where redundancy payments would exceed £95,000, and even in such cases, any excess over £95,000 would be minimal.

"The Government is supportive of the principle of a cap of £95,000.

"In 2016 the Government legislated to cap exit payments across the public sector to a maximum of £95,000.

"A consultation on proposed implementation arrangements will be forthcoming in 2018."

Dorset's local government reorganisation process which was approved by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid last month will see Weymouth and Portland, East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck and West Dorset replaced by a single unitary authority while Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch will form a second authority with the new organisation taking effect in April 2019.

Both new unitary authority will provide all services, which the proposals aimed to create 'stronger and more accountable leadership'.