Council chief’s salary controversy - what do you think?

It comes despite coalition Goverment policy that no new appointments in the public sector would receive a salary greater than that of the Prime Minister, who currently earns £142,500 a year.

Just weeks after the controversial departure of the council’s £220,000-plus a year chief executive an advert has been placed on the website for Odgers Berndtson, which claims to be the ‘UK’s pre-eminent executive search firm’.

Mark Hammond left his post on September 30 but details surrounding an agreement reached between Mr Hammond and the county council have been kept secret under a confidentiality clause. Last month it was revealed that his pay off would not be revealed until next autumn.

Mrs Goldsmith (Con, Chichester West) said: “I do appreciate there is public interest in the appointment of a new chief executive. We cannot yet confirm the precise salary for the post as the recruitment process is intended to test the market.

“We are using a specialist agency for the recruitment so we can benefit from their expert knowledge of the ‘going rate’ for a job of this nature.”

Asked how the public would feel about the salary she said: “I suspect that in the current economy I can’t imagine the public’s going to be terribly thrilled about it.”

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