Highland Council has come under fire after moving to hold talks about the shock departure of a highly paid education boss in private.
Paul Senior was appointed at a cost of £936 per day at the end of May, and it recently emerged that he will leave his post at the end of August.
The move followed the revelation that he was being paid £250,000 each year.
Opposition councillors have criticised a lack of transparency over his appointment.
And earlier this week, elected members demanded some answers during a full council meeting.
They were blocked from discussing the matter, however, and told to wait until the authority’s education committee meets tomorrow for an update.
But it has now been confirmed that those talks will be held in private, further angering members who feel the matter has been deliberately kept from the public.
Tory opposition group leader councillor Andrew Jarvie said: “Something has clearly snapped, yet it isn’t worthy of explanation.”
A council spokeswoman said the private meeting would enable all councillors to have a better understanding of the full context around the appointment process.
She said: “It has proved extremely challenging to recruit to the post of executive chief officer for education, particularly during the pandemic circumstances.”
It is understood that the decision to end Mr Senior’s appointment was mutual.
