Cornwall Council has said that it is committed to delivering value for money as it looks to fill a job with a £148,000 salary.

The council is advertising the role of Chief Operating Officer (S151) which has a salary of up to £148k and relocation costs.

It is a statutory appointment for the council under the Local Government Act which requires “every local authority to appoint a suitably qualified officer responsible for the proper administration of its affairs”.

The job ad posted by Cornwall Council states: “Cornwall is a place that is forging ahead in the 21st Century. That’s why we want our new Chief Operating Officer to be someone that can set the right culture and ethos across our enabling services; that can cut through bureaucracy whilst working in partnership and that has the energy to sustain the pace of change that our ambitions demand. You’ll need to be an optimistic, goal-oriented, problem solver with the kind of credibility that comes from having transformed the effectiveness and efficiency of other large and complex organisations.”

When the advert was posted some members of the public raised their eyebrows at the salary being offered.

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The council stressed that the appointment was not a new job and would be replacing an existing officer in the role.

In a statement the council said: “We are committed to delivering value for money for council tax payers and keep management costs under periodic review.

 “The council is one of the largest unitary councils in England with a budget of £1.2 billion delivering more than 700 services to local people, from fixing the roads and collecting the bins to caring for the elderly and safeguarding children. It is important that the right people with the right skills and experience are retained to deliver this work.

 “We continually review our senior management structure and currently have 10 members of staff with salary levels over £100,000.

 “Details of the numbers of Council staff earning over £50,000 are clearly published on our website as part of our commitment to openness and transparency.”

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The data on the council website – which is marked as being for 2018-19 – indicates how many people are in the top brackets of pay at the council .

This shows that three people are earning between £100,000 and £104,999; one has a salary of between £105,000 and £109,999; and there is also one member of staff earning between £110,000 and £114,999.

Two members of staff are on a salary of between £145,000 and £149,999; and another two are on between £150,000 and £154,999.

One member of staff – the chief executive of the council – is on a salary of between £175,000 and £179,999.