Cheshire East councillors will next week be asked to rubber-stamp a decision to hike up the lowest salary starting point for its new permanent chief executive by £10k because £160k is 'too low'.

This would mean the salary band for the new top boss – when one is recruited – would be between £170k and £190k and not £160k to £190k as was originally proposed.

The increase has been recommended by the council's appointments committee and will be voted on at Wednesday's meeting of the full council.

It was proposed at last month's appointments committee meeting by deputy council leader Craig Browne (Ind) who said the council might not attract the right candidates if it doesn't increase its offer.

He told that meeting Cheshire West & Chester, which is a smaller authority, had just appointed a step-up candidate on just under £167k, 'so that immediately tells me that £160k is simply too low a starting point for this [Cheshire East] position'.

The council will also be asked on Wednesday to ratify the decision to appoint David Parr OBE as interim chief executive.

He will hold the post until the new chief executive is appointed.

Cheshire East will pay Mr Parr £1,200 a day and he will work the equivalent of a three-day week.

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These increased salaries have sparked an angry response from members of the public at a time when they are seeing their services slashed and charges, such as parking, increased.

A protest march against the introduction of parking charges is due to take place at 3pm on Saturday in Sandbach ending up at the council's HQ at Westfields.

One disgruntled resident tweeted: "At a time when other services are being cut. Always looking after themselves."

Another posted: "Yet they have the cheek to stop taking our garden bins unless we pay more, but happy to bump up their own salaries."

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