THE departure of York council boss Kersten England could herald a shake-up of senior management at the authority.

Chief executive Kersten England is due to leave City of York Council on July 31 to take up a similar role at Bradford council, and leading elected councillors are now looking at ways of filling the post.

Next Monday, a committee of political leaders will discuss how to do so. Papers show they are likely to look to a current staff member to take on the Acting Chief Executive post for between five and nine months, before appointing a permanent replacement.

By law the council must have a “Head of Paid Service” – a role the chief executive job includes – but a report to the Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee warns that finding a new permanent council boss will take five to nine months, and urges leading councillors to look for an acting boss in the meantime.

The alternative, of using an external consultant or going to the “interim” market, could be more expensive, warned Mark Bennet, head of business HR.

In a report, he wrote: “Proposals for a permanent chief executive and head of paid service will be developed quickly alongside a wider review of council management.”

The acting chief executive will be paid around £130,000 a year and could come from current council staff – something Mr Bennett said would be a “development opportunity” for existing senior staff. The post will also be advertised on the council’s jobs website to open it to outside candidates without large recruitment costs.

He added: “The council does have experienced senior staff that it is felt have the necessary skills to be considered for the opportunity.”

The committee will also be asked to decide how to appoint the next permanent chief. It has been asked to agree to an annual salary of £130,000 to £145,000 and an appointments committee including one person each from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat groups.