The controversial hunt for four council bosses cost taxpayers more than £120,000.

Brighton and Hove City Council stumped up the sum in its search for four strategic directors.

The amount, which would nearly pay the £125,000 annual wages of one of the new employees, included £14,000 for the controversial “Say No to Status Quo” website.

Critics have criticised the council for spending the sum when it faces cutting hundreds of jobs and at least £45 million of savings in the next three years.

But the local authority defended the amount claiming it represented a “substantial long-term” investment.

Full report in today's Argus.