Walsall Council cuts: Fresh row as another interim manager's high salary is revealed

The council is employing Lucy Trueman as a transformation manager on a six-month contract where she will pocket £75,000.

She began in her role at the beginning of October, shortly before the council announced it needed to save £86 million in four years with hundreds of jobs facing the axe.

The Unite union said the employment defied belief, adding: "It is difficult for any council to maintain its reputation for prudence and good governance when it is making such outrageous appointments, and then, at the same time, serving up an unpalatable diet of cuts in services for the citizens of Walsall.

"Unite asks, yet again, why there is not this expertise available amongst the top management at the council – the people of Walsall deserve better than the present situation which threatens to make the council a sad laughing stock."

Last week it was revealed the council has hired Julie Alderson on £200,000 a year to be its interim director of change and governance.

Ms Trueman, who has worked for three councils previously describing herself as an 'interim specialist,' is working for Walsall Council as a 'transformation manager'.

This means she will be helping the council deliver its multi-million pound savings needed in the next four years.

Councillor Sean Coughlan, Leader of Walsall Council, said: "Lucy started a six-month fixed term contract with the council at the beginning of October.

"Lucy works at a senior level to manage the council's transformation programme and reports to an executive director.

"The programme is designed to deliver the priorities of the council's corporate plan with new approaches and ways of working that will achieve the council's medium term financial strategy.

"The budget allocated for this piece of work is in the region of £75,000."

The former leader of the council and current head of Walsall's Conservative group, councillor Mike Bird, said: "It is too easy to go out and buy interim support. We are making hundreds of people redundant and this money could be spent elsewhere."

Fiona Farmer, the union's national officer for local authorities, told the Express & Star: "Reports yet another highly-paid consultant – a so-called 'transformation manager' – has joined the Walsall council managerial gravy train defies belief.

"It is difficult for any council to maintain its reputation for prudence and good governance when it is making such outrageous appointments.

"It threatens to make the council a sad laughing stock."