A north-east council is in the hunt for a new £80,000-per-year housing chief, eight months after the former boss died in a horrific crash.
Aberdeenshire Council’s late head of housing Douglas Edwardson died after a collision with a tractor near Dunecht late last year.
The 58-year-old was rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he was put into an induced coma, but he died two weeks later.
His post had been temporarily filled by other officials from the infrastructure department but now the council is searching for a “forward thinking” replacement to tackle an ongoing housing crisis.
There are nearly 10,000 people currently waiting for council housing in the region as Aberdeenshire Council faces cut backs of £28million from its overall annual budget.
Last night Stephen Archer, director of infrastructure services, said the new housing chief will be responsible for ensuring that tenants’ voices are heard.
“The head of housing post at Aberdeenshire Council is a challenging but rewarding post which requires special skills, including, strong leadership, forward thinking, passion, able to communicate effectively, remaining calm in a challenging environment and a sense of humour, all of which Douglas Edwardson had in abundance,” Mr Archer said.
“We are looking for someone to build on what Douglas achieved over his many years of dedicated service to tenants and service users in Aberdeenshire.”
He added that priorities for the incoming head of housing will be providing more affordable houses to slash the waiting list, tackling homelessness and addressing fuel poverty.
The head of housing post, which is being offered with a salary of £79,898 per year, will be based at Aberdeenshire Council’s Woodhill House HQ in Aberdeen.
Mr Archer hopes to begin interview candidates for the “pivotal” post early next month.
The Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit is currently looking into the circumstances surrounding Mr Edwardson’s death.
