WEST Sussex County Council plans to appoint a chief executive after being without someone in the role since 2014.

Instead of an overall head of the management structure, the council split the job two years ago, appointing a chief operating officer and a transformation director, in a bid to save money.

Sean Ruth will be stepping into the role of acting chief operating officer after Easter and the council plans to recruit a chief executive by the summer.

He will start when the current chief operating officer Gill Steward, who was appointed as the transformation director, leaves the council on Thursday, March 24.

Mr Ruth has acted as deputy COO in recent months and has also led the fire and rescue service as executive director for communities and public protection. The council says the recruitment process for a chief executive is now under way and hopes to have someone in the post by the summer.

Plans to re-establish the chief executive post were approved by the council on February 19.

West Sussex County Council leader Louise Goldsmith, said this month the post of chief operating officer was always designed to be an “interim measure”.

She said: “Gill’s role was to transform how we work to ensure better value for taxpayers’ money and improved services for residents. With the transformation programme nearing completion, we are now planning to re-establish the post of chief executive to drive forward those changes and ensure the priorities of our Future West Sussex plan are delivered.

"The post of chief operating officer was always designed to be an interim measure. Gill has not only led a programme of £53million savings, but has also implemented changes to the management structure which have resulted in savings of £7.5million.

“The time is now right to find someone to take us forward to this next chapter.”

The new chief executive’s salary will be pitched at a level that “delivers value for money but is still competitive to secure the best person for the job” and would be subject to negotiation with the preferred candidate, Mrs Goldsmith said.

The council said in 2014 scrapping the chief executive’s £175,000 job would save £25,000 a year. The transformation director’s salary was set at £130,000, with an extra £10,000 given to the COO.

Mrs Goldsmith added: “West Sussex County Council is in a strong position to be taken forward by a chief executive after the planned period of transformation.

“We are a council with ambition and we have a clear plan for the future focusing on the needs of our residents and communities.

“We now need a chief executive to take us on the next part of this exciting journey.”

The decision to scrap the chief executive’s role in 2014 met with controversy with opposition groups claiming the last post holder Kieran Stigant was “gagged” and “sacked” over council spending cuts.

Opposition councillors at the time said Mr Stigent’s departure was “presented as a fait accompli” and came as a “complete shock” to members of the council, who also claimed the question of whether Mr Stigant left of his own accord remained unanswered.