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£148,000-a-year Staffordshire County Council director axed

A top director who earns nearly as much the Prime Minister is to have his job axed by cash-strapped Staffordshire County Council.

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Andy Burns is the director of finance and resources at Staffordshire County Council

Finance boss Andy Burns has fallen victim to the authority's drastic cost-cutting measures and has been told his £148,000-a-year role will be ditched.

The cuts have impacted on frontline services and bosses say it is only right the amount paid to top earners is cut.

Staffordshire County Council needs to save £35 million and is proposing hiking council tax and having several libraries taken over by volunteers.

Mr Burns' generous pay packet was almost as high as Prime Minister Theresa May, who earns around £150,000.

County council chief executive John Henderson takes home £180,000, according to the latest council accounts.

It means the council will now continue with four directors.

Mr Burns is the director of finance and resources and oversees the council's £1.2bn revenue budget, the £600m building programme as well as investments and the pension fund.

Council leader Philip Atkins said massive cuts in government funding had forced chiefs to make the difficult call to reduce the top brass.

He said: “Having reduced running costs by £240m in the last nine years, we face extremely difficult decisions to meet our legal duty to balance the books next year.

“To protect frontline and universal services, we are making significant savings in the back office, and subject to approval by full council in December, that will start with our senior leadership team.

“Work is underway on a range of cost saving proposals and together with councils across the country, we continue to lobby Government on the urgent need for more funding for adult and children’s social care.

“We will know the outcome of this when Government announces the funding settlement for councils in England on 6th December.”

County councillor for Stafford, Jonathan Price, said it was right top earners were taking some of the brunt.

He said: "We have a financial plan in place and we are working towards that. Anything that stops the impact on frontline services is a bonus. We have got to look behind the scenes as well."

John Tradewell, the current director of strategy, governance and change, will take over a new role combining his position with the finance brief.