NOTTS County Council is advertising for a top "spin doctor" with a salary of more than £71,000 – after announcing plans to cut 1,370 jobs.

Angry opposition councillors and union chiefs claim the new post shows Tory council leader Kay Cutts favours "spin" over services.

The council announced last month that it plans to make £85m of cuts over the next three years.

But it is now advertising for a new service director of communications to help the council manage its reputation and give technical advice to the leader.

The council says the new post is part of a review which started under the previous administration.

But the council's Labour leader Alan Rhodes said the huge cuts to jobs and front line services were not proposed at that time.

"It is extraordinarily insensitive given that council staff are in fear of their jobs at the moment," he said.

"I would call for the county council to reconsider this appointment in light of the current situation."

County Liberal Democrat leader Jason Zadrozny said: "It just shows where the administration place their priorities – on spin over services really.

"They would much rather have someone who can do their Alastair Campbell work for them rather than doing frontline services."

Mike Scott, branch organiser for the Notts county Unison branch, said the salary for the new post was "indefensible" and would make threatened staff more likely to go on strike.

"There are a lot of people waiting nervously indeed to see if they receive their redundancy papers shortly after Christmas," he said. "This is certainly not going to improve the matter."

Council Leader Coun Cutts said: "The chief executive instigated a review of the council's communications some time ago, under the previous administration.

"As with all appointments at service director level there will be cross-party representation on the interview panel, as well as senior officers."

County council chief executive Mick Burrows said: "I believe the way we communicate with both our staff and local taxpayers is vitally important and I'm keen that we do this in the most efficient and effective way possible.

"After the departure of the council's head of customers and communications, and corporate communications manager, the council instigated a review of its communications functions.

"We have since restructured the chief executive's department and deleted a number of posts, with a view to appointing a service director for communications.

"We plan to centralise all of the council's communications functions and make efficiency savings. Many councils have adopted a similar approach."

The post of service director (communications) is advertised in the national press as a full time, permanent role with a salary of up to £71,776.

The previous service director left the council in summer 2007.

The council says the funding of the new service director communications will be met from the axing two months ago of the post of service director, policy, development and partnerships, a post which paid up to £85,000.

A spokesman said: "The council currently has separate communications functions across all of its departments. The plan is to centralise all communications functions under a single service director for the first time."

jon.robinson@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk