A NEW council boss will be paid up to £75,000 a year after her hiring was agreed at a meeting last week.

West Oxfordshire District Council agreed to employ a new chief finance officer at its meeting on Wednesday, May 13.

At the meeting, held remotely, councillors heard the finance officer would also act as a deputy chief executive for the council.

James Mills, the council's elected leader told his colleagues the district would likely emerge in a better financial situation than most other local councils, but that West Oxfordshire needed a new deputy chief executive to 'make the case' for the area in regional meetings.

Mr Mills said: “There is an increasingly important role for partnership working within Oxfordshire and further afield. There has been an increasing important placed by central government on the Oxford to Cambridge arc.”

At Arc meetings, many other councils have a dept chief exec role, he added.

The job has been offered to a candidate, Elizabeth Griffiths, who is due to start in the summer.

The council appointed an interim finance officer in the meantime.

Lib Dem opposition leader, Andy Graham, said: "I believe this will move us forward for the recovery. We are in a good position as Councillor Mills said, and we are far better off that other councils.”

The council needed to hire a new chief financial officer as it could no longer share the post with Cotswold District Council in Gloucestershire.

A job description said the chief finance officer could expect to earn up to £75,000 a year.

At the meeting, the council also discussed changes to its constitution which would allow it to meet remotely by video call.