SOMERSET County Council has come under fire for wasting money after splashing out more than £46,000 on recruiting a new chief executive.

Conservative council leader Ken Maddock is aiming to find a replacement for previous chief executive Alan Jones, who left the council in July.

This week it emerged that the cost of recruiting a replacement for the top job, which has an estimated salary of £160,000, has cost taxpayers £46,375 so far.

Today the council confirmed it has spent:

* £20,000 on the services headhunting recruitment agency Tribal

* £4,000 on a ‘microsite’ – an website detailing the job and recruitment process

* £8,000 on advertising in the Municipal Journal

* £11,550 on advertising in the Sunday Times

* £2,250 on advertising in the Guardian

LibDem county councillor for Blackdown and Wellington East Ross Henley said: “This is an enormous waste of money.

“The Tories at County Hall talk and talk about saving money and then waste £46,000 on filling one job vacancy.

“These figures are a disgrace. The Conservatives have sadly and badly misjudged the public mood if they feel it’s appropriate to spend this sort of public money to fill one job vacancy.”

A council spokesman said: “We clearly want to find the best person for the top job at Somerset's biggest employer, with a budget of nearly a billion pounds and 17,000 employees.

"Residents would expect Somerset County Council to try to attract the best person for such an important job and used specialists in managing the process, as do most other major employers.

"The company the county has appointed is expert at seeking out possible candidates directly as well as through placing advertisements."

Mr Jones left the authority on July 31 after six years at the helm shortly after the Conservatives took control.

At the time of Mr Jones’ departure, Cllr Maddock said he wanted “a change in direction with a new set of priorities”.

The chief executive role has been taken over by deputy chief executive David Taylor on an acting basis.

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