BRENTWOOD Council will no longer have Essex County Council’s top bod overseeing its management.

As of March, the two authorities will not share a chief executive, an arrangement that was put in place in August 2007 and was the first of its kind in the UK.

Brentwood Council has been paying the county council £30,000 to share Joanna Killian, the highest paid chief executive in the country, which has reportedly saved tax payers £1.2m to date.

Councillor Louise McKinlay, leader of Brentwood Council, said Mrs Killian was brought in for two reasons, to assist with an internal management restructure and look at opportunities where back office services could be shared.

She said the decision to move away from the current shared working arrangements is a joint one and has not been prompted by any tension between the authorities.

She said: “It’s a very positive decision. It’s about taking the next step with other partners, which includes Essex, but not exclusively Essex.

“Next year the savings that have been put in place will be put straight back into frontline services. If those savings hadn’t been made, they would have to have been found elsewhere.

“It’s been beneficial on both sides. Residents don’t care if it’s Brentwood Council or Essex County Council, they just want to get something done and if we can do that by working together it can only be a good thing.”

Mrs Killian said: “Brentwood is a great council that has made strong progress over the past few years and now is a good time for me to take a step back and focus on my responsibilities with the county council.

“I know it has strong senior leadership in place to take it forward.”

A new chief executive will not be recruited at the town hall. Instead, Alison Crowe’s role as the council’s managing director will be extended, making her its most senior officer after March 31.

She has had a handover with Mrs Killian over the last eight months and Mrs McKinlay was in talks with the county council for around six months to ensure the transition was a smooth one.

Although it will involve more responsibility, Mrs McKinlay said no decisions have been made about whether Mrs Crowe will receive a higher salary.

Back office services, including HR, audit and communications will continue to be shared between the two authorities and a new shared finance function is expected to be introduced in spring, giving Brentwood taxpayers an overall saving of around £451,000 a year.

The £30,000 paid by Brentwood was not part of Joanna Killian’s salary.

However, in recognition of the “challenging” financial climate and changes to the chief executive role she has volunteered to reduce her salary to £210,000, which will be brought into effect in April. She is currently paid £225,000 a year.