Two temporary directors who were costing taxpayers £800 a day to work at Wolverhampton City Council have had their contracts extended until March 2013, it was revealed today.

Tom Rennie and Charles Green were originally brought in for six months in February after a major shake-up of senior management at the council saw three of the highest earning officers leave and one of their jobs deleted.

The changes saved the council £100,000 towards its £36m of cuts. Paying the daily rate is £30,000 more expensive per year than recruiting two permanent directors on a salary of around £114,000 each, although adminstrative costs of recruiting two permanent officers would also be around £30,000.

Labour council leader Roger Lawrence said the temporary directors’ pay would fall to £785 a day after the council negotiated out of the contract with the agency that supplied them.

Tom Rennie will remain as interim strategic director for delivery and is leading an overhaul of computer systems, which could see the council work with either Staffordshire County Council or Solihull Council on a new computer deal and office functions.

Charles Green will continue as interim director for education and enterprise. He has been behind plans for a £13.4m investment in the area blighted by the failure of the £300m Summer Row shopping centre. But Mr Green will work nine days a fortnight from now on instead of 10.

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