A COUNTY council’s first chief executive in two years will be paid almost £50,000-a-year more than the Prime Minister while the process to recruit him is costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds.

Nathan Elvery has been named as the preferred candidate to be the new West Sussex County Council chief executive and is expected to take up the role in the next few months.

The council did away with the role two years ago in preference for a chief operating officer in a bid to cut costs until reverting back to chief executive in a move critics described as “muddled”.

Questions have also been raised about the use of an external headhunting firm to find the new candidate – a move unions have warned will cost taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds.

Mr Elvery will join West Sussex from his current role as chief executive at the London Borough of Croydon where he has worked for the past 12 years, rising through the senior management team to interim chief executive in March 2013 and then into the role permanently in July 2014.

The Argus understands Mr Elvery will receive £190,000-a-year in the role - around £10,000 more than in his current role.

David Cameron earns £142,500.

Seventeen candidates applied for the role which was reduced to a longlist of seven and then a shortlist of three who were interviewed by a member panel including council leader Louise Goldsmith, deputy leader Christine Field, finance member Jeremy Hunt, Liberal Democrat leader, Dr James Walsh and Ukip councillor Sandra James last week.

A Unison spokesman said the council had spent tens of thousands of pounds for a specialist head hunting agency when an advert in the national press would have produced similar results.

The spokesman added it would be “highly offensive” to reintroduce “stellar pay packages” previously seen at the authority and urged the council to not repeat the mistakes of a generous bonus pay system enjoyed by former CEO Kieran Stigant.

Dr Walsh said: “Part of the rational of the administration for doing away with the post of chief executive was to save on costs but now it seems we are prepared to go back, it strikes me as muddled thinking and muddled logic along the way.

“I’m not sure that its strictly necessary to pay for headhunters when there are chief executives looking to move all over the place.

“There have been several changes of leadership over the past four or five years and the council now needs a period of stability.”

It is anticipated Mr Elvery’s appointment will be confirmed at the next full council meeting on April 15.