Torbay Council to appoint £90,000 a year 'chief executive'
TORBAY Council has agreed to recruit a replacement for chief executive Elizabeth Raikes, who left last year.
A meeting of the full council was told the search for a new appointment had taken seven months and had not been easy.
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Torquay Town Hall
Now it has been agreed the new post will be for a four-day week and a salary of £99,000 a year.
Mayor Gordon Oliver said: "The budget process we have over the next few years is for continuing reductions and changes to the structure. It will not be easy, but we need a robust team at the top.
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"We need to strengthen with an additional post at the top team to enable it to work efficiently."
An interim chief operating officer has been doing the job.
A task group of councillors decided to reject sharing a chief executive with other councils.
The role has been given the working title of executive director of finance and operations.
The job description is for somebody who will work with the mayor to provide 'corporate, financial and strategic visionary leadership'.
The person will also act as the council's principal advisor with a duty of overseeing the financial management of the budget.
Cllr Darren Cowell welcomed savings of more than £100,000 in the senior management structure.
"We are living in uncharted times and we need to identify an individual who can help Torbay chart those waters," he said.
Cllr Steve Darling said the task force had taken too long to come up with its proposals.
"What we have before us could have been done in a couple of months," he said.
His Lib Dem colleague Ruth Pentney said: "We've been managing without a chief executive for a while and lightning hasn't struck the town hall yet. There is no money in the budget for this."
The recommendation was carried and a recruitment process will now begin.
An appointment will be found in time for the meeting on July 18.
Comments
by Azriel22
Thursday, March 07 2013, 9:05AM
“So effectively £125,000 a year plus gold-plated pension and golden hello and goodbye pot for a normal - well normal for council suits - five day week.
And we read the same platitudes from the councillors about 'robust team at the top' and 'financial and strategic planning'.
Forgive me if I misunderstood but didn't Raikes take voluntary redundancy last year by reason of having made the job itself redundant? And before her the ineffective and equally overpaid Painter left two years into his contract with a generous pay-off. Not to mention the several consultant led 'initiatives' shuffling the top crew at huge cost.
No worse than many authorities in the country when it comes to splashing out on the executive but let's hear a little less about cuts at the sharp end.”