Norfolk County Council axes one of its top officer jobs

The Conservative-controlled council has agreed to get rid of the £175,000-a-year post of executive director for community and environmental services - one of the eight highest-paid jobs at the authority.

The post which will be axed had been held by Grahame Bygrave on an interim basis since June last year, when Tom McCabe vacated it to become chief executive.

Tom McCabe, chief executive of Norfolk County Council (Image: Supplied)

The remit of the post ranges from libraries to museums, highways to fire and rescue and from recycling centres to corporate property.

After the post is axed, two lead directors will be created instead, one for infrastructure and one for communities and environment.

Andrew Jamieson, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for finance (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Andrew Jamieson, the council's cabinet member for finance, said the change made good sense at a time when the council is having to make millions of pounds in savings.

Some £42m of cuts and savings will be made this year and Mr Jamieson said: "We have significant savings to be made over the next four years, but we are a well-run, well-managed council that balances its books year after year.

"We are constantly looking at ways to improve the way we work to deliver those savings."

Steve Morphew, Labour group leader at Norfolk County Council (Image: Denise Bradley)

Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group, said he welcomed the shake-up, but that it needed to go deeper.

He said: "Still too little and too slow. The council needs a complete overhaul.  There is far more that could be done at pace to get better value for money."

The deletion of the post - agreed by the council's employment committee on Monday - came as the council confirmed it has spent more than £1m making 36 members of staff redundant as part of a strategic review.

Norfolk County Council's County Hall headquarters in Norwich (Image: Mike Page)

Almost £800,000 of that was paid in severance packages, including redundancy payments and pension strain costs, of six workers.

County councillor Bill Borrett (Image: Bill Borrett)

But, with 71 other members of staff redeployed, rather than made redundant, Bill Borrett, Conservative cabinet member for public health, said it had been a "hugely successful exercise", retaining staff expertise, while making savings.