CONCERNS have been raised over the appointment of a long-standing Labour party member to a top job which involves ensuring the council leadership is properly scrutinised.

Kathryn Myers, who has headed the Labour-controlled authority's PR department for the last five years, has taken the role of assistant director of Strategy and Communications on a salary somewhere between £71,000 and £77,890.

She was the only person interviewed for the job and the council did not advertise the position externally.

The Guardian understands Ms Myers was originally asked to re-apply for her job, as has been the case with other managers during the restructuring of council departments, but she appealed against the move.

A Labour-dominated panel of councillors was due to consider the appeal, but then days before the meeting it was changed to an interview for the new role.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said he was concerned about the appointment and the potential conflict of interest arising from a Labour supporter taking on such a role.

He said: “When she was running [council news sheet] WFM she never seemed to be a great fan of scrutiny.

“I asked her to put in information about scrutiny committee meetings but she didn't appear very interested, but now she's in charge of scrutiny which I find quite interesting.”

The Lib Dems are also unhappy about not being involved in such appointments.

A disastrous election result last May, which followed the de-selection of then leader John Macklin and senior colleagues weeks before the poll, has left the party severely weakened.

Conservative opposition leader Matt Davis said: "This appointment was plainly not made in the normal or transparent fashion and it is inexplicable to me why the council did not go into the jobs market to see who else might be available for such a new and different senior post."

A council spokesman defended the appointment.

He said: “This process saw a 50 per cent reduction in staff levels and funding, including several managerial posts.

“During any restructure, new or vacant posts are first advertised internally. This is common practise, and a measure adopted to minimise the impact on members of staff across the council whose livelihoods are at risk.

“Ms Myers was appointed after a full application and interview process, wherein she was interviewed by leading councillors from both the Labour and Conservative parties.

“The post is the same pay grade as Ms Myers’ post of Head of Corporate Communications.”

Members of the panel are banned from discussing details of the appointment process.

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