A COUNCIL replaced a sacked housing chief with an interim worker costing double the money.

Angela Smithers took the role of interim head of housing at Brighton and Hove City Council after former housing boss Jugal Sharma was sacked for gross misconduct.

The agency Ms Smithers was hired through was paid £716 per working day for her services, equating to £3,580 a week or £164,680 for a 46-week year.

We previously reported Mr Sharma’s salary as being £82,000, though he is listed on BHCC’s website as earning a salary ceiling of £85,000, still almost half interim expenditure.

Ms Smithers was taken on in January this year after The Argus reported that Mr Sharma had been suspended while police looked into allegations of fraud.

Mr Sharma was interviewed under caution in September by police investigating alleged multimillion-pound property fraud. He was not arrested and there is no date set for him to be re-interviewed.

Ms Smithers left the city council yesterday after her contract came to an end.

Now BHCC has said it will source a further interim in January while it “reviews future arrangements”.

The news follows an Argus exclusive on December 5, which revealed the council is paying a different agency £999 a day for finance interim Rachel Musson.

Geoff Raw, the council’s executive director, said: “Like other large employers, we make interim arrangements for staff cover.”

During Ms Smithers’ time at the council she presided over a short-notice decision to close a housing office in Oxford Street, which angered councillors who felt left out of the process.

Conservative councillor Mary Mears, who is on the housing committee, said: “In all my time in housing I have never known members to be sidelined so badly.

On the sum paid for Ms Smithers’ services, Coun Mears added: “The council has a duty to give the taxpayer value for money.”