A temporary council chief executive is costing more than £1,000 per day until a candidate fills the permanent top role, a Freedom of Information has revealed.

Rob Tinlin MBE, who works an average of four days a week, is recruited on a temporary basis by an employment agency which charges Uttlesford District Council £1,095 plus VAT for each day he works, according to a FOI request submitted by the LDRS.

At this rate, Mr Tinlin has cost the council an estimated £50,370 since he started on July 1, almost half of his predecessor’s annual earnings in fewer than three months.

Peter Holt was confirmed as the new permanent CEO at an extraordinary meeting of the Council last night (September 9) and is expected to start in October.

The district council says the agency charges an all-inclusive rate which includes its own fees, but does not hold any information about the breakdown of such fees.

It also said it does not make additional contributions to the agency for sick and holiday pay, expenses or pension contributions.

Mr Tinlin works an average of four days per week, but this may increase or decrease depending on the demands of the job, according to the response from the council.

The figures were obtained via a Freedom of Information request submitted to the district council in August.

The total salary, fees and allowances for previous CEO Dawn French, who announced her resignation in May this year, are listed on UDC’s senior staff pay webpage as £116,639 for 2019/2020.

According to a UDC statement in June, Mr Tinlin was appointed by councillors as Interim Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive on June 10 and started work on July 1.

Mr Tinlin was Chief Executive of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council for 12 years.

He retired in 2017 and was awarded an MBE the same year for services to local government.