Haringey Council is advertising for a new Director of Place and Sustainability. According to the job advert, the role will pay "up to £140k".

As a Director of Place and Sustainability, you would be required to be "an influential figure", able to forge "new relationships and networks across public, private and third sectors".

The job advert continues: "Our new Director will join the organisation at an exciting time, as we endeavour to deliver ambitious and far-reaching regeneration initiatives in the context of a very different economic landscape... Never has there been a greater need for innovation and we'll look to you to turn ideas into action and engage with a wide group of stakeholders to secure their buy-in to our ambitions for Haringey. Success in this role will be an invaluable platform for your own ambitions."

Haringey Council has come under fire in the past for supposed high salaries and low performance. According to Ed West at The Telegraph, the council’s CEO, Kevin Crompton, is on £189,440 a year, an increase of £6,855 from his predecessor. The average median wage in Haringey is £19,800.

Haringey has been consistently rated as one of the worst councils in London by the Audit Commission (and it was the only London council rated as the lowest score of '1-performing poorly' in the Commission's 2009 Organisational Assessment scores).

The Telegraph reports that eight councils in Greater London pay their chief executive more than the President of the United States (but Haringey's Kevin Crompton earns less than the President's £245,000).

With the Localism Bill set to introduce a 'salary ceiling' of £100,000 – above which councillors will have to vote on local authority salaries – it remains to be seen how recruitment will be affected.

Haringey Council is not unique in paying high salaries to senior staff. But when it is paired against a local budget shortfall of £46m this year alone, perhaps a more prudent approach to recruiting top jobs should be considered.

Tags: Audit Commission, Haringey Council, Local Council,Local Government, Localism bill