Liberal Democrats Slam Labour Council Over £67,000 Interim Comms Hire While Street Cleaning Services Suffer

Liberal Democrat councillors have criticised Labour Council Bosses after it was revealed that a temporary appointment for an Interim Head of Communications cost taxpayers £67,395 for just 217 days in post, £310 per day.

The cost includes all fees and agency charges through the council’s contract with WWY Ltd, meaning the annualised cost of the role would be over £113,000, far above the typical cost of a permanent appointment.

The revelation comes as Labour implements £600,000 in "vacancy management" cuts across council departments, savings which have already led to a decline in street-level services, with residents across York reporting overgrown paths, increased litter, and fewer cleansing visits to neighbourhoods.

Cllr Paul Healey said: 

“Residents will rightly be furious that Labour have prioritised spending on a temporary Head of Comms while slashing front-line services that people see and rely on every day.

“This isn’t an essential service, it’s a back-office role that Labour kept on a temporary contract for more than half a year, at a completely unsustainable cost. Meanwhile, they’ve made deep cuts to the teams that keep our city clean. The priorities here are completely wrong. 

“Instead of investing in our neighbourhoods, Labour have chosen costly short-term fixes while services like street cleaning are hollowed out. Residents deserve better.” 

The Liberal Democrats are demanding answers over why such a high-cost, temporary appointment was extended for so long, and how the Labour administration can justify spending over £67,000 on a single back-office role while cutting so many of the services that help keep York’s streets clean and communities safe.