Interim arrangements for a number of high-paying jobs at Northumberland County Council are set to continue for up to six more months.
The measures were initially brought in place last August following the departure of deputy chief executive Kelly Angus, in order to "provide additional strategic support to the executive team".
Internal applicants were given pay increases to step up for a calendar year, with the expectation that the senior management structure at the council would have been reviewed by the end of this month. However, that review has not happened.
Read more: Another six-figure pay out for top officer put forward at Northumberland County Council
According to a report presented to councillors on the staff and appointments committee on Monday, there are currently 14 members of staff working under these arrangements, with the temporary increases in pay costing the council an additional £243,779.
Speaking at the meeting, interim chief executive Rick O'Farrell said: "Around this time last year, following the departure of Kelly Angus the then chief executive sought to put in some interim arrangements while the new staff structure was arranged. It was hoped this would take 12 months but there were issues at the start of the year and an extension is needed.
"Work has been ongoing on the senior staff structure. We're very close but we need the existing arrangements to continue for now."
The measures were unanimously approved by members.
It comes after data collected and published by the Taxpayer's Alliance in April showed that Northumberland was paying 20 high-up employees more than £100,000 a year - the highest of any council in the North East.
At the time, council leader Glen Sanderson pledged to slash the council's wage bill by the end of the year by undertaking the review of the senior management structure. Northumberland Labour criticised the number of officers in interim positions and claimed that was the reason the council had figured so prominently in the so-called "town hall rich list".
As well as Mr O'Farrell, the council is currently served by an interim monitoring officer, Suki Binjal. At the same meeting, members agreed an appointment process for permanent replacements for both positions.
Speaking at the meeting, Coun Sanderson said he wanted opposition councillors involved in the process, with a new appointment made the council's top job by Christmas.
Coun Sanderson said: "We're recovering from what has been a difficult year to two years. We're feeling positive at the moment.
"Max Caller was called in by myself to do a corporate governance review. Those recommendations have been worked on and this is part of the action plan moving forward."
The committee unanimously approved the recommendations for the recruitment process of both posts.
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