70k money saving post is not 'non-job' says council
Council chiefs in North East Lincolnshire have defended a decision to hire a £70,000 senior manager to look at ways of saving money.
The authority's vacancy for a 'Future Shape Programme Manager' has been criticised by the Conservative MP for Cleethorpes, Martin Vickers, who said he was "appalled" by the decision.
Andrew Allison - a local campaigner for the Taxpayers' Alliance - describes the position as a "non-job."
North East East Lincolnshire is among the councils facing the maximum 8.9% reduction in government funding next year.
Many of the people I spoke to on the streets of Grimsby appeared slightly bewildered by the job description.
Here's the response from North East Lincolnshire Council...
"Future Shape is the biggest change programme the council has ever embarked upon. It involves reshaping what we do and how we do it.
We want to improve experiences and outcomes for the people and businesses of North East Lincolnshire. To do this we need to be adaptable and future proof, plus we will have to be a smaller and smarter organisation.
Over the next couple of years, it is the Future Shape programme of projects that will enable us to deliver the change required in times of unprecedented financial challenge. We have to invest in the right people to deliver this programme because it is crucial that we don't fail.
The programme manager will steer a team that will oversee £9-million of the £29.7-million we need to save because of the government's comprehensive spending review. The appointment is at a senior level in the organisation and that is reflected in the salary and importance of the post.
These are difficult times for everyone in local government and we have to have the best team in place to see us through the turbulent years. Unlike other local authorities who have engaged expensive private consultants, we are doing this with our own staff and recruiting to this in-house team."
I'm Tim Iredale, the BBC's Political Editor in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and presenter of the regional Politics Show. This is strictly a "no-spin" zone where the political viewpoint is more Humber Bridge than Westminster Bridge. Your comments and observations are more than welcome. 
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