Wolverhampton City Council bill for temps costs taxpayers £73k

The unnamed staff, who are working on daily rates of around £350, have been taken on as part of Wolverhampton City Council's shared services transformation programme, as 'share point developers'.

They are the latest in a string of temporary appointments working on daily rates, which have included two directors who were on as much as £785 a day following a cull of some of the highest earning staff.

It follows the appointment of four other temporary officers who will cost £187,350 in six months.

Sue Davies, the council's head of employee relations, said the roles were needed as part of a major project to overhaul back office systems and improve payroll, human resources and computers.

She said: "It has been necessary to look for external resources for this role due to the lack of experience and skills internally."

The authority's ruling Labour cabinet also rubber-stamped the employment of a "temporary business analyst".

The role is being created as part of the controversial single status arrangements which will see 5,423 staff receive a pay rise and 1,242 staff get a pay cut as part of changes to iron out decades of inequality between men and women doing equivalent jobs.

The analyst was employed from October to December last year and cost taxpayers £20,260.

The £785-a-day directors have now been replaced by full-time posts who will earn six-figure salaries.

Keith Ireland, who was doing the job on an interim basis has taken on the job full time as strategic director for delivery, in charge of the overhaul of computers, payroll and IT, dubbed "shared services".

Charles Green, who runs education and enterprise services, such as planning, schools, culture, arts and heritage, entertainment and events, steps down from his interim role next month.

He will be replaced by Tim Johnson, who is in charge of regeneration for Walsall Council.