A ROW has erupted at County Hall over a new £85,000 “spin doctor”.

The Tory-controlled Oxfordshire County Council last week announced former Sunday Times journalist James Clark would become its new head of communications in May. He will lead the council’s communications department, which currently costs £800,000 per year.

When the council advertised the post earlier this year, it said the salary for the role would start at £85,000 a year.

Opposition leaders have questioned the wisdom of spending so much cash on a new PR chief during a recession.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group Zoe Patrick said she would quiz council leaders on the appointment at the authority’s full council meeting next Tuesday.

She called for the money to be spent on hiring more elderly care staff and youth workers instead.

Mrs Patrick said: “I think they’ve built up a huge empire in communications at County Hall now and we can’t see any value for money out of it at the moment.

“We think taxpayers’ money would be better spent on front-line services rather than this post.”

Leader of the Labour group Liz Brighouse said: “I think in a time of recession when everyone’s being told to tighten their belts and people in Oxfordshire are losing their jobs, ordinary folk are going to wonder how a local authority can afford to pay such salaries.

“It’s a hell of a lot of money and I’m not sure what the purpose of it is apart from spin.”

When the Oxford Mail phoned county council leader Keith Mitchell he also declined to comment, saying he had not been properly briefed on the matter.

The council spends £5.5m a year on advertising, marketing and promotional material.

An advert for the job posted on the council’s website said spending on the unit would be increased when a new staffing structure, expected to swell the department’s ranks to 20 employees, was put in place.

However, council spokes-man Paul Smith said: “The re-organisation of communications does not currently involve the hiring of any new staff other than the head of communications.

“It does not involve any new money for communications.”

The council was unable to say how much Mr Clark would be paid, and whether his salary was an increase on the amount paid to his predecessor, Nicky Kirkwood.

The authority also declined to comment on the claim that the money could be better spent on front-line services.

The county council advert said the new head of communications would be given “significant influence” on all marketing activities.

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk