IT'S going to be one of the council's top jobs - with a pay packet to match.

City of York Council is to spend nearly £100,000 on appointing a new "director of people and improvement".

The cash-strapped authority, which had to make £6 million in budget savings and shed nearly 100 posts at the start of the year, is advertising the appointment as a "crucial" role in the way the council plans to move forward.

The role, which will see the successful applicant report to chief executive David Atkinson, has been created out of a recent reorganisation of that department.

Whoever gets the job will take responsibility for "shaping, driving and implementing the council's improvement priorities".

In practice, that will mean taking control of policy and improvement, human resources, marketing and communications as well as civic, democratic and legal services - making the successful applicant one of the most powerful figures at City of York Council and taking home a salary of up to £97,800.

That has worried union chiefs at Unison, who say they opposed the reorganisation of the chief executive's office and are concerned at the amount of power the new director will have.

Peter Wegg, York general convenor, said: "We are battling against this. This person will stand alone with no assistant directors. It could be really messy."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: The post of director of people and improvement is a new one at the council, created through the rationalisation of the management arrangements in the chief executive's department and is crucial to the success of the authority's improvement agenda. "The successful applicant will work directly to the council's chief executive, David Atkinson, and it will manage the teams in human resources; policy and improvement; marketing and communications; civic, democratic, scrutiny and legal services.

"The post holder will be expected to achieve a lot with limited resources, and a major part of their role will be to inspire and influence staff - working with and through others to improve how the corporate centre operates."

The council said the restructure of the Chief Executive's department had saved £230,000 in salaries.