Pembrokeshire County Councillors will once again debate a hugely controversial proposed pay-off for the chief executive Bryn Parry-Jones following the unprecedented intervention of the Wales Audit Office.

Yesterday (Wednesday) Auditor Anthony Barrett stepped in to halt a planned £330,000 pay-off on grounds that it could incur unlawful expenditure.

That was down to the inclusion of payments in lieu for a pension scheme previously declared unlawful by the Wales Audit Office.

Pembrokeshire County Council said "there are a number of relatively simple steps the council could take to resolve the position" but opposition members were concerned that a new deal would be arranged without councillors' input.

But Labour Group Leader Cllr Paul Miller has said that an extraordinary meeting will now be held, likely to be next week, to once again debate the issue.

Cllr Miller said: "Since the auditor ruled the Bryn settlement unlawful I have been working hard to make sure that no revised deal could be done without full council approval.

"I am glad that finally the council has agreed with me and an Extraordinary Council Meeting is being scheduled for ‘next week’.

"The people of Pembrokeshire now have a chance to make themselves heard – loud and clear.

"The disciplinary investigation must be allowed to continue and the chief executive must be suspended until it has concluded.

"Throwing hundreds of thousands of pounds of Pembrokeshire people’s money at this problem should never even have been contemplated – thanks to Mr Barrett we now have a final chance to make sure it doesn’t happen."