WORCESTERSHIRE County Council has defended its decision to create a new post of head of community leadership, which carries a salary of up to £70,000.

The position has gone to Inspector Simon Adams, aged 49, who is currently commander of the South Worcestershire Division of West Mercia Police, which includes Malvern.

The appointment comes at a time when the county council claims to be looking at "a black hole" in its finances and possible council tax rises.

It is one of more than 30 jobs at the council that currently pay annual salaries of between £50,000 and £130,000.

Leader of the council George Lord stated in a recent council advertisement in the Malvern Gazette that the situation was so "grim" the council needed to find cost savings of £3.5 million if the scaling back of essential services such as social care, street lighting and road maintenance was to be avoided.

Deputy leader Alwyn Davies said the decision to create the post was made months ago, before the council knew there would be a shortfall between the money it receives from central government and the money it needs to deliver services.

He said the post was an "important and essential one with wide ranging responsibilities."

Coun Davies said the council hoped to make savings of £10 million over the next two years and this would mean no cuts in services.

Mr Adams, who takes up his new post on Monday, February 6, has 30 years' experience in the police force and is now able to retire with a full pension.

"I'll miss the police force but I'm lucky to be starting a second career, one that uses some of the experience I've had," he said.

Mr Adams said much of his work as a senior police officer had involved working in partnership with other organisations to make a difference to people's lives.

It was this experience he hoped to use in his new job, he said.

He said it would be a big culture change working for the council and that his new role working alongside council officers and elected members would probably be more advisory and mean less decision-making than he was used to in the police.

He said he would be managing a small directorate of six people rather than the 600 people he had been responsible for in the police force.

His role was about effective communication and making sure people knew what the council did.

"It's about a joined-up approach to delivering services, about creating partnerships and delivering services as efficiently as possible," he said.

He will be working to create links between local government and the community and voluntary sector.