The search is under way for a new chief executive to lead Cheshire East council.
Interim boss Kim Ryley, who has been in the post since August, has announced he is stepping down in the summer.
He was appointed to the role initially on a three-month secondment from Shropshire council.
Mr Ryley was then employed on a temporary contract in November until the end of last month – on a salary equivalent to £140,000 a year.
CEC confirmed this week that he had turned down the chance to apply for the post permanently for personal reasons.
He will stay on until the new chief executive is appointed. The council has now drawn up a list of potential replacements and will interview candidates later this month.
The Express understands that the salary for the role will be determined after any appointment.
Michael Jones, council leader, said he would have welcomed the chance for the former Shropshire council chief to stay on.
He said: “He has brought a depth of experience to his interim role with us and has set a high bar for our next chief executive.”
The new chief executive will become leader of a new, slimmed down senior management team which has now been finalised.
The authority revealed in January that it was getting rid of all its senior management posts with staff being forced to re-apply for the new positions.
It’s part of a plan to axe 1,000 jobs over three years, which bosses say will save £5m and improve performance.
Mr Ryley, who is overseeing the process, said the Lyme Green scandal had highlighted serious flaws in the council’s existing structure and changes were urgently needed.
As the first stage of this, 10 new senior management appointments have already been made. Another 30 are due to be appointed as part of phase two.
The council has refused to confirm how many staff will be leaving as a result of the changes.
Coun Jones added: “Building a strong management team to support my ambitions and those of my cabinet, to make Cheshire East an even better place to live and work, is essential.”
