BRIGHTON and Hove City Council’s second in command is to leave her post for six months to “deliver top-notch culture” to Croydon.

The authority’s assistant chief executive Paula Murray is to head up to south London on a six-month secondment from the start of next month.

Councillors and trade unions described the move as “odd” and unprecedented in the council's history.

Questions have also been raised about the timing of her departure with major changes planned for the city’s libraries, Royal Pavilion and Brighton Centre, which all fall under her department.

But a council spokesman said Ms Murray will continue to lead on major projects including developing a business case for moving the Royal Pavilion and Museums into trust status and securing the future of libraries and tourism services while simultaneously playing a “key role” in boosting Croydon’s position as “a cultural hub for London and the South East”.

Her departure comes ahead of an anticipated and significant restructuring of council senior management in the upcoming weeks to save £1.9 million.

Her post will be the new creative director role at Croydon Council leading a £30 million regeneration project.

The city council will invoice their London counterparts for the monthly salary of the £78,000-a-year director.

She has been dubbed the council’s new “cultural tsar” and will start on April 1 although she is expected to meet groups and organisations ahead of her official start date.

Ms Murray moved up to the assistant chief executive role in 2013 after it was newly created under previous chief executive Penny Thompson.

Questions have now been raised about the necessity of the post with some suggesting the assistant chief executive department’s responsibilities will be divided among other council departments in the upcoming restructure.

Conservative councillor Mary Mears said: “I do find it very odd.

“We never had a deputy chief executive before so we have questioned before why we need one now."

GMB branch secretary Mark Turner said: “I’m absolutely amazed that the chief executive and Warren Morgan as chair of the culture committee is allowing this senior manager to go when you consider the budget cuts to her department, Hove Library, the Brighton Centre and the private outsourcing of the Royal Pavilion.

“Someone has called this one very wrong.

“I have never known that in all my time to loan out a senior officer, Brighton has never done that before.”

Unison’s branch secretary Richard Woolven said: “The timing of this is really odd, to do it for six months, given the big changes that are about to take place in the areas she manages.”

Ms Murray said: “I’m delighted that I’ll be able to keep the leadership role on the important cultural projects and am looking forward to working with Croydon in the same productive way.

“There is also the potential to develop joint working to boost the regeneration and cultural offer in our region which is very exciting.”

Geoff Raw, chief executive for Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “This is a great opportunity for Paula and I wish her every success in her new role. In the meantime we will also be able to call on her expertise.

“I hope we will also be able to develop this shared expertise arrangement with other authorities in the Greater Brighton and Coast to Capital LEP area reflecting the growing prominence of the city in the wider city region."