Enfield Council's decision to advertise a new assistant chief executive role with a salary of up to £190,000 has been criticised by opposition councillors, who have raised concerns about both the cost and the recruitment process.
The salary is higher than the £174,000 a year reportedly earned by the Prime Minister. Enfield Labour released a statement last week attacking the decision to advertise the 'assistant chief executive for change and improvement' post without allowing opposition councillors to scrutinise it.
Concerns over scrutiny process
Ergin Erbil, the former council leader who continues to lead the opposition group, said he was "particularly concerned that council officers have told us this decision cannot be 'called in' for review by the overview and scrutiny committee".
"A senior appointment involving significant public money should be open to proper democratic scrutiny," Cllr Erbil added, arguing that members of all parties "have a responsibility to ensure that taxpayers' money is being spent appropriately". He said that councils, including Enfield's, "must welcome scrutiny, not seek to avoid it".
Political context and response
Enfield Conservatives pledged to improve "transparency" and "accountability" in their manifesto for the local election this year, after which they formed a minority administration at the civic centre.
In response to the criticism, a council spokesperson said the appointment process "is not a key decision and therefore is not subject to call-in" by the overview and scrutiny committee.
Cllr Erbil compared the £190,000 annual cost of the proposed appointment to the £33,000 saved when the Tories scrapped "four democratically-elected associate cabinet member roles immediately after taking office" and pointed out the new recruit would be paid "more than the prime minister".
Council leader Alessandro Georgiou, in one of his first decisions, axed what he described as the "political crony cabinet member posts" that had previously been created by the former Labour administration. Each associate cabinet member was paid an extra allowance of more than £8,000 per year.
Council defends the role
Responding to questions from the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a council spokesperson said the new assistant chief exec would bring together "several existing corporate functions" in a bid "to provide stronger strategic leadership".
The spokesperson added that the move would help the local authority ensure its "transformation and improvement work is coordinated, sustained and delivered at pace". The decision was described as coming as "part of a wider programme" aimed at helping the council "deliver better services, improve productivity and secure value for money and better outcomes for residents".
The role, listed on the website of recruiters Ransley Boardman, via the council's LinkedIn page, has a closing date of Sunday, October 25.
Responding to Cllr Erbil's concerns over the scrutiny process, the spokesperson added: "The council's constitution sets out which decisions are subject to the overview and scrutiny committee's call-in procedure. Call-in applies to decisions that meet the definition of a key decision. The establishment of this post is not a key decision and therefore is not subject to call-in."
