THE appointment of the new £150,000 a year chief executive for Sandwell is expected to be made tonight at full council meeting amid controversy over the recruitment process.

Privately, some councillors have already been told the job has been awarded to the existing interim post holder, David Stevens, before the formal announcement this evening. 

In a temporary measure, Mr Stevens (pictured above) took over the role of as the authority’s highest paid employee after the shock resignation of Jan Britton in June.

The authority’s Chief Officer Terms and Conditions Committee meet last Friday to consider its recommendation, which has to be ratified by a meeting of all councillors. 

In July, council leader Yvonne Davies said it was planned to launch a countrywide bid to find the best candidates for the post.

She told councillors:  “It is intended that the role is advertised nationally and it will be advertised via a high level executive recruitment organisation.”

But Cllr Caroline White, the independent ward member for Cradley Heath and Old Hill, says she has seen no evidence this has happened and fears the council has ignored it own procedures.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she said: “I have only noticed this being advertised internally in the council and that was only over a short period of time.”

She added she will be raising the issue at this evening’s meeting and she was sure others would also join her in questioning the move.

But former council leader Steve Trow, speaking on Monday, said he believed any appointment would have followed the assurances the council had made. 

 “I am sure that is not the situation given the leader (Cllr Davies) gave this undertaking in July last year that it would be subject to a national advertising process and that would be conducted by an independent executive recruitment agency.”