A NORTH MP has sparked a new row after claiming that a £175,000-a-year council chief executive should be axed – to pay for pothole repairs.

Hexham Conservative Guy Opperman pointed the finger at Northumberland County Council for handing out “whopping” executive salaries while the public is tightening its belt.

He claimed the 10 highest-paid county council officer – including chief executive Steve Stewart – pull in £1.5m between them.

Mr Opperman said that represented around half the amount slashed from the road repair budget and would be enough for more than 50 new teachers.

The move follows Communities Secretary Eric Pickles’s December stance against excessive council salaries, when he suggested chief executives could be scrapped.

But last night Northumberland County Council leader Jeff Reid branded the idea of running without a chief executive “absolute nonsense”.

Coun Reid, who leads the Lib Dem-controlled authority, declared: “This is from Eric Pickles’ idea that the leader of the council should also be the chief executive. That would mean me in our case.

“But that was absolute nonsense – it would be getting rid of a chief executive and replacing him with a political appointee.

“To be a political lead and head of service would be a very difficult job to do and it would be a rare individual who could do both jobs.

“And how much would Mr Opperman expect that person to be paid? Northumberland pays the going rate for a chief executive, and the fact is that we have taken out £1.5m already in executive pay year on year.

“We actually have one of the smallest top teams of senior management in the country, and it is three years since the last pay rise – that is from road-sweepers to chief executive.”

Mr Opperman said local people understood the tough economic situation and added: “The amount of council taxpayers’ money sloshing around for those at the top of the county council is appalling.

“When you see elected councillors who run the county council handing out taxpayers’ cash in executive salaries like it was going out of fashion, it really does beggar belief.

“The Lib Dems have not only cut the pothole budget but also cut road maintenance teams here in the west.

“At the same time they are paying in excess of £130,000 to their new deputy chief executive, whose responsibilities include ‘responding to emotional and morale issues brought about by change’.

The only change the people of Tynedale are getting is short-changed.”

The Tory group leader on Northumberland Council, Peter Jackson, said he was amazed that the Lib Dems and Labour had refused to support a Tory proposal for a pay-level review in the authority.

“It is the extreme spread of the levels of pay that bothers my group,” he said. “Not only do we have fat-cat salaries for senior executives but the council has forgotten those employees at the bottom of the pay scale.”

The row – the latest in a number between Conservative Mr Opperman and the Lid Dem-led county council – comes as campaigning hots up for elections in May in which all three major political parties have hopes of taking control of the authority.