A CALL FOR a new senior council officer earning as much as an “eye-watering” £91,000 for promoting Pembrokeshire business was cautiously backed by members of the council.

At Thursday’s July 26 meeting of Pembrokeshire county Council, members considered a proposal to create and advertise a new Head of Economic Development & Regeneration post, at £53,982-£91,443, covering council salary bands 7-2, the existing range for a head of service.

A report for members said the new post, following a void left by the retiring head of regeneration, would “require an entrepreneurial skill set and a different approach, whereby the council becomes the catalyst that encourages and facilitates inward investment”.

It was recommended by the council’s senior staff committee, meeting earlier in the month, that the post be advertised.

Cabinet member for Cabinet Member for Economy, Tourism, Leisure and Culture Cllr Paul Miller said the new post would help the council “get back in the game” of promoting business opportunities in Pembrokeshire.

“This will make a real difference for Pembrokeshire; what we need to do is get on the ground and deliver for Pembrokeshire.”

Cllr Miller said there was a need for a credible plan, warning: “Otherwise there will be another period when this council is a bystander in the decline of Pembrokeshire.”

Cllr Michael Williams, who had previously moved the proposal at committee level, said: “We cannot afford to sit back and fiddle while Rome burns, economically we’re at the point of almost dying.

“We’ve got to grasp this nettle and do something; we need this dedicated professional to engage with these businesses when they come in.”

Pembroke councillor Aaron Carey, citing the town’s South quay proposals, said: “I’d hate to see that run by the wrong person for the sake of £10,000; if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.”

Despite concerns at the “eye-watering” higher salary level, members agreed to support the post be advertised.