Aberdeen council chiefs are preparing to hire eight civil servants – within hours of announcing hundreds of job cuts.
The authority expects to spend up to £200,000 for the recruitment of 13 chief officers as part of a huge shake-up of the council.
Yesterday, it emerged that five had been hired in-house leaving the fund, which can be used for external job adverts and advice, to recruit eight remaining posts.
Salaries for these posts range from around £58,000 to £85,000 and are separate from the four recently-appointed £115,000 director posts.
Last night, a council spokeswoman said that specialists Penna Plc had been engaged and confirmed the final bill would follow when the recruitment had been completed.
The news of the appointments came just a day after the authority confirmed around 370 jobs would be axed.
The council want to make around £125million of cuts and savings during the next five years.
They hope that the staff cuts can come through voluntary redundancy and axing vacant positions with around £5million expected to be saved.
Meanwhile it has emerged that Bernadette Marjoram, the interim director of infrastructure and Helen Shanks, head of inclusion within the education directorate are leaving the council.
Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Yuill said: “I understand why people might find the spending of up to £200,000 on recruitment costs while making redundancies to be very strange.”
SNP group leader Stephen Flynn added: “To have both the Director of Education and Head of Education leave in a matter of weeks will be a massive blow to the local authority.
“Improving attainment in our schools has to be our number one priority, but the administration treats it as an afterthought, instead focusing on their new operating model which kicks education to the sidelines.
North-east Unite union regional representative Tommy Campbell urged council chiefs to recruit internally.
Council co-leader Douglas Lumsden said: “As always, councillor Flynn is critical of the administration’s decision making and financial plans but offers no solutions as how the council could close the huge budget gap created by the Scottish Government’s failure to fund Aberdeen properly.
“I firmly believe Aberdeen has a bright future, but that future is only possible with a council that has a balanced book.”
