Council to axe senior bosses

A cull of senior managers and top bosses at Cannock Chase Council has been approved by councillors in secret to save taxpayers £300,000 a year.

At a closed-door meeting of councillors on Wednesday the senior management review was approved which the Express & Star has learned will see the top four directors at the council reduced down to just two within 12 months.

The Express & Star has learned that the council will also cut the number of middle managers.

Deputy chief executive Les Trigg, who earns between £90,000 and £99,999, will leave to head up a new project to develop shared services between Cannock and neighbouring councils. His post will no longer exist at the council.

In February the council's top legal officer Phillip Lloyd-Williams left to take up a position at another council and his post has now been deleted.

This leaves chief executive Stephen Brown, who earns more than £112,000 a year, with two corporate directors Declan Hoare, and Tony McGovern who both earn between £80,000 and £89,999 in salaries. During the last restructure in 2007 Mr Brown was given an increase of £10,000.

This year the council has had to fill an £870,000 shortfall in its budget with cuts in services. The council has also announced 29 posts have been made redundant as part of its budget for next year which will see a council tax increase of 3.9 per cent.