Council bosses have signed off on advertising for a £100k job currently being filled on an interim basis.

Greenwich councillors agreed to search for a new senior assistant director of health and adult social care after a year of agency workers filling the position.

Officers at the council called for the £112k job to be filled “without delay”.

A year after the original post-holder resigned, it was agreed last night, July 26, to advertise for a permanent fixture.

The council’s spend on agency staff has increased by 12 per cent in the last year, from £15.9m to £17.9m.

The total amount of agency staff employed by the council in the last year, excluding schools, was 297 – accounting for seven per cent of the workforce.

The largest job assignments being filled by agency staff were social care workers, followed by council admin staff.

According to a report heard on Thursday night: “Agency workers in local government are essential to meet variations in activity levels, cover vacancies and short-term staff absences and to bring in specific skills for short periods of time.”