THE new man at the helm is urging Bromsgrove District Council to spend £45,000 and take "immediate" action to set up a management structure.

Acting chief executive Graham Essex-Crosby is backing a set-up with three men at the top - a chief executive paid up to £90,000, with two corporate directors on salaries of up to £70,000 each.

His report to the executive cabinet - due to meet tonight - (Wednesday) suggests an outside adviser should be taken on to help with the recruitment.

Mr Essex-Crosby argues that there is a need for "urgent action" to fill the new posts and face up to the challenges after recent criticisms of the council's performance.

The costs of advertising and recruitment for the chief executive would be "in the region of £20,000", his report says, with a total of £25,000 for the two directors. They would probably be appointed after the chief executive, to allow the new person to have a say in who will fill the posts.

An appointments committee would also be set up to deal with short-listing and interviewing.

"Every effort will be made to keep costs to a minimum," Mr Essex-Crosby says. The one-off recruitment expenses could be met by savings on staff salaries, such as the vacant post of deputy corporate director.

Mr Essex-Crosby puts forward three different management systems but favours the one with a chief executive and a corporate director (resources) and a corporate director (services), which he says is the model used by a variety of district councils.